Djokovic forced to pull out of blockbuster World Tennis League clash with Kyrgios in Dubai

Novak Djokovic pulled out ahead of his match against Nick Kyrgios at the World Tennis League in Dubai on Wednesday, explaining he was “not feeling 100 per cent well enough to play”.

The blockbuster match-up between Djokovic and Kyrgios – a rematch of their Wimbledon 2022 final – was advertised as the main attraction for Day 3 of the WTL, which saw the biggest crowds for the event so far at Coca Cola Arena.

“Novak Djokovic announced that he would not be partaking in the World Tennis League event tonight due to not feeling 100 per cent well enough to play,” read a statement released by the WTL.

“Team Falcons will continue to play against Team Eagles and we look forward to Novak’s return to centre court.”

Djokovic was replaced by his Falcons teammate Grigor Dimitrov, who posted a 7-6, 6-3 victory over Kyrgios. But the Eagles still pulled off a 38-31 success over the Falcons.

“I was pretty excited to play Novak obviously, since Wimbledon final and all that, wanted to go out there and have some fun with him,” said Eagles star Kyrgios.

“But he’s got to look after his body and obviously he’s a got a big couple of months coming up with a lot of expectations, so I wasn’t surprised if he wasn’t feeling 100 per cent to get out there.

“But Grigor is a good mate of mine, it was good to get out there and get some load under the body again. Every day just feeling a little bit better physically. Just getting those two tough singles matches under my belt, feeling well, getting through those without anything kind of pulling up, so that’s a bonus.”

The day kicked off with mixed doubles, which was a lively affair with Djokovic dancing during changeovers, and all players getting involved with line calls and reacting to hot shots throughout.