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 Djokovic, who was hampered by the injury, thought to be his right
wrist, at last month's Monte Carlo Masters where he lost to Roger
Federer in the semi-finals, said he hoped to be back for the Rome
Masters starting next Sunday.
"I am very sorry for the Madrid tournament and all the Spanish fans
to have to pull out," Djokovic said on the ATP website
(www.atpworldtour.com).
"I did everything possible in order to play in Madrid, which is one
of the biggest events of the year, but unfortunately my right arm
injury has flared up again," he added.
"Now I will take some time to recover and heal my injury, hoping I
will be ready for Rome. I look forward to returning to Madrid next
year."
Djokovic would have had a chance of toppling Rafa Nadal from the
number one spot at the clay event in the Spanish capital.
 If Spaniard Nadal, who won in Madrid last year, had failed to reach
the quarter-finals and Djokovic had triumphed in the final the Serb
would have overtaken him at the top of the rankings for the first
time since October.
Nadal has been well below his scintillating best on his favored clay
in recent weeks, losing in the quarter-finals at Monte Carlo and
Barcelona to compatriots David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro
respectively.
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"When you lose, you have a hard moment, you have more doubts,"
Nadal said at a news conference on Sunday.
"I’m here to fight and to try to play even better," added the
27-year-old. "I don't think I have to change many things. I think I can change
very small things, and the change can be quite drastic and quite
big. That's what I'm working on right now.
"When you come from tough moments like this, you come back with a
little more intensity to try to be back as soon as possible."
(Reporting by Iain Rogers, editing by Martyn Herman)
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