There will be three notable players who will not be playing at the Paris Masters 1000 Series Indoor Event next week in France. A week after world no. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia announced he will not be playing, Canada’s Denis Shapovalov and Japan’s Kei Nishikori announced their absence on Tuesday as well.
The absence of Djokovic and Shapovalov means there will be a new champion and finalist in 2020. Last year Djokovic defeated Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 in the final. It was the fifth time in Djokovic’s career that he won the Paris Masters. He previously won in 2009, 2013, 2014, and 2015.
Shapovalov meanwhile is dropping out after a horrendous defeat to Jurij Rodionov of Austria on Monday in the first round of the Vienna Open. Shapovalov had 10 double faults and only won 38% of points on his second serve in a 6-4, 7-5 defeat. It was quite frankly an embarrassing performance by Shapovalov, who normally plays much better on an indoor hardcourt. Rodionov entered the tournament ranked 153rd in the world.
Nishikori meanwhile suffered from coronavirus leading up to the U.S. Open. At the French Open, the 2014 U.S. Open finalist played two five-set marathons earlier in the fall. In the first round, he defeated Daniel Evans of Great Britain, 1-6, 6-1, 7-6, 1-6, 6-4, and then in the second round lost to Stefano Travaglia of Italy, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-2.
Due to the fact Nishikori and Shapovalov are pulling out of Paris, they will be replaced in the draw by Gilles Simon of France and Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan. Simon has been to two ATP Masters 1000 series finals in the past. He lost to Andy Murray of Great Britain 6-4, 7-6 in the final of the Madrid Open in 2008, and then lost to Roger Federer of Switzerland, 7-6, 7-6 in the final of the 2014 Shanghai Masters.
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