The 30-year-old Serb had been scheduled to start the new season at an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi on Friday when an elbow injury flared up.
Sixth seed Andy Murray may feel the most aggrieved of the top contenders in the men's draw.
Spain's David Ferrer stunned World No. 1 Novak Djokovic to reach the ATP World Tour semi-finals on Wednesday, outplaying the Serb 6-3, 6-1 at the O2 Arena.
Germany's Tommy Haas recorded the upset of the tournament when he stunned two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-4 in the fourth round of the Sony Open at Miami on Tuesday.
World number one Novak Djokovic beat fellow-Serb Janko Tipsarevic 6-1, 7-6 in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Thursday to set up a meeting with Andy Murray in the last four.
The French Open is the only Grand Slam title to have eluded Novak Djokovic and the steely-eyed Serb has adopted a philosophy of reverse psychology in a bid to claim the coveted crown.
IMAGES from the Australian Open Men's semi-finals played on Friday.
Novak Djokovic has suffered more than his fair share of heartache against Rafael Nadal at the French Open but Sunday's final offers him a chance to dethrone the claycourt king.
The three-time champion retired hurt from his quarter-final against Tomas Berdych after he had lost the opening set and was down a break in the second.
Novak Djokovic summoned some cinematic inspiration to help him conquer grand slam king Roger Federer and silence the roaring supporters of the Swiss at Sunday's US Open men's final.
Novak Djokovic motored into the Wimbledon semi-finals with a quick-fire 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Germany's Florian Mayer while Federer ruthlessly dismantled Mikhail Youzhny 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
Nadal has won the Australian and the French Open back-to-back and has the chance to become the first man to win all four majors in the same year
Novak Djokovic is arguably the best returner the game has ever seen, is the best athlete and has an engaging personality, there is only so much love to go around.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic and defending champion Andy Murray produced contrasting performances to secure their berths in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Masters on Thursday.
Novak Djokovic refused to be downhearted after his Wimbledon title defence ended in semi-final defeat by an inspired Roger Federer on Centre Court on Friday.
Gilles Simon will carry the distinction of being the first man to prise a set off Novak Djokovic at this year's Australian Open but the lion-hearted Frenchman was crushed after going down in a five-set classic on Sunday.
Novak Djokovic was happy to complete his weather-delayed semi-final victory over David Ferrer in sunshine on Sunday but the Serb still lashed out at the US Open's crammed schedule.
Alcaraz returns to action at this week's Cincinnati Open, where he can gain ground on the Serb and Italian Jannik Sinner.
A rampant Novak Djokovic completed a stunning 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 demolition of Lucas Pouille, on Friday, to storm into his seventh Australian Open final and set up a mouthwatering title match with Rafael Nadal.
Top seed Novak Djokovic overcame tenacious Czech Jan Hernych 7-5, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Marseille Open on Thursday.
Alcaraz topped the Red Group and will face Green Group runner-up Novak Djokovic in a mouth-watering semi-final.
Kohlschreiber, 35, stunned the top seed and five-times former champion 6-4, 6-4 in Indian Wells, leaving the Serb to conclude it had just been "one of those days".
Novak Djokovic produced a superhuman effort to subdue Argentine Francisco Cerundolo.
Novak Djokovic pronounced himself fit and raring to go in search of his fifth Australian Open title on Sunday after overcoming a bout of illness that had prompted social media users to suggest he was in doubt for the tournament.
It is a U-turn from Novak Djokovic after his June statements that competing at the 2020 US Open would be 'impossible' due to 'extreme' COVID-19 protocols for the tournament at Flushing Meadows.
Rafael Nadal said on Saturday "too many questions" still needed to be answered concerning Novak Djokovic's bid to play at the Australian Open, while other leading players lamented how the saga had overshadowed the year's first Grand Slam.
Nadal, bidding for a record-extending 14th French Open title, won the first five games of the match as he looked on course to repeat his drubbing of the Serb in last year's final.
World number three Novak Djokovic came back from a set down to beat unseeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and claim the Rome Masters title on Sunday.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overpowered world number three Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-6 to book his place in the Marseille Open final on Saturday. World number 12 Tsonga, who has now won his last four matches against Djokovic since losing to the Serb in the Australian Open final in 2008, will face Michael Llodra in an all-French final after the Parisian beat compatriot Gilles Simon 7-6, 6-2 in the other semi-final.
Images from gentlemen singles quarter-finals of the Wimbledon championships on day nine at the All England Club.
A floundering Novak Djokovic should seek advice from evergreen Swiss maestro Roger Federer in order to rediscover his vintage self, the Serb's former Davis Cup coach Bogdan Obradovic said.
Novak Djokovic clawed his way to a two sets to one lead over great rival Rafael Nadal before their scintillating Wimbledon semi-final was paused on a knife-edge on Friday.
'I wanted to fight until the last ball and that was the key.'
His third straight triumph at the All England Club also earned the Serbian a 20th Grand Slam title
World number one Novak Djokovic advanced to the final of the Montreal Masters when Frenchman Jo Wilfried Tsonga retired trailing 6-4, 3-0 on Saturday, leaving the sensational Serb on the brink of a record-smashing title.
Andy Murray punctured Novak Djokovic's air of dominance by beating the out-of-sorts Serb in straight sets in the final of the Italian Open in Rome on Sunday.
World number one Novak Djokovic was dumped out of Rio Games in the first round on Sunday by Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro, who also defeated him in the bronze medal match at the London Olympics.
Top seed Novak Djokovic breezed into the quarter-finals of the $576,000 Thailand Open after a 6-1, 6-3 victory over German qualifier Simon Stadler on Thursday.
Novak Djokovic's reign as world number one remained unblemished as the Serb blasted Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-1 off the court to ease into the semi-finals of the Montreal Masters on Friday.
Former World No. 1 and Wimbledon champion has emerged as the surprised as the surprise candidate to take over Novak Djokovic's coach, The Daily Telegraph reported.
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