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Djokovic sustained a muscle tear that hindered
him during his successful Australian Open title defence last
month and the 33-year-old planned to return at Miami before
playing the Monte-Carlo Masters and the ATP 250 Serbia Open.
"Dear fans, I'm very sorry to announce that this year I won't
travel to Miami to compete," Djokovic tweeted.
"I decided to use this precious time at home to stay with my
family. With all restrictions, I need to find balance in my time
on tour and at home. I look forward to coming back next year."
Djokovic, who won his 18th Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park,
eclipsed Roger Federer's all-time record for most weeks as the
men's world number one on March 8 when he moved past the Swiss
to hold the top ranking for the 311th week.
He said at the time that his focus would be on winning more
majors, adding he would make necessary adjustments to his
playing schedule to achieve that goal.
Rafa Nadal also decided to skip the March 22-April 4 Masters
1000 event to recover from a back injury, while Federer will not
be present as he works his way back to full fitness after two
knee operations in the past 12 months.
U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem will miss the event and return
to the tour during the European claycourt season. World number
two Daniil Medvedev is set to lead the field.
Former champion Andy Murray will also feature, having been given
a wildcard by the tournament organisers.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha
Sarkar)
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