Novak Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic forced to withdraw from the Paris Masters doubles despite first-round win

The Serbian pair beat Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-4, 6-2 in their first-round match.

Novak Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic forced to withdraw from the Paris Masters doubles despite first-round win

Novak Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic (Image via ATP Tour)

Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic and his doubles partner Miomir Kecmanovic were forced to withdraw from the ongoing Paris Masters despite winning their first-round match. The Serbian pair could not go further in the tournament as Kecmanovic withdrew from the ATP 1000 event due to a wrist injury.The 24-year-old Serbian will not take any further part in the tournament.

This means Novak Djokovic’s plan to practice for the Davis Cup Finals has been spoiled. The 36-year-old had confessed that he entered the doubles event just to get some game time with his countryman.

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While there is no official word from any of the two players about the withdrawal from the tournament, the second-round opponents of the Serbian pair- Rohand Boppana and Matthew Ebden got a walkover.

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Novak Djokovic advances to third round in singles event

While Novak Djokovic’s campaign at the doubles event got derailed due to his partner withdrawing, the Serbian ace is excelling in the singles event. The 36-year-old beat Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets in the second round. Djokovic won the match 6-3, 6-2 to set up a third-round clash with Tallon Griekspoor.

Novak Djokovic US Open first round
Novak Djokovic at 2023 US Open (Image via Sky Sports)

The Serbian was pleased with his effort in the middle as Djokovic analyzed the win. He patted his back for pulling off a straight win after coming back from a break and not playing an official match for a long time. Djokovic also praised his opponent for continuously improving his game. 

I am pleased...I was serving up and down. Some parts of the match really good, others losing the rhythm. But I think it is normal to be rusty a little bit after not playing an official match for so long. But a straight-sets win against a guy who has been improving so much.
Novak Djokovic said after his win over Etcheverry.

With this win, Djokovic not only qualified for the next round at the ATP 1000 event, but he also extended his lead over Carlos Alcaraz in the live rankings which will eventually decide who will be the year-end No.1. The Serbian now leads the 20-year-old Spaniard by 580 points. And if Djokovic goes on to win the title here in Paris, he will take his lead to a massive 1495 points.

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