Speaking about the injury, which he picked up during the quarterfinal tie against Carlos Alcaraz last Tuesday, after the semifinal match, the 37-year-old said: “I did everything I possibly could do to manage the muscle tear that I had.

“Towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain. It was too much to handle for me.”

With Djokovic’s decision to withdraw from the contest, Serbia will be without its star player in the first-round qualifying tie, which will begin on January 31.

The team now comprises Miomir Kecmanovic, Hamad Mededovic, and Laslo Dere, and doubles specialists the Sabanov brothers, Matej and Ivan. In addition to Djokovic, Serbia will also be without the services of Dusan Lajovic owing to an injury.

Serbia captain Viktor Troicki, addressing Djokovic’s absence in the Denmark tie, said: “We are weakened by not playing Novak, but we are still going for the win. The Danes have a great player in Holger Rune, but our players are also great and I believe in my team.”

Djokovic set for French Open return

According to a report in ESPN, Djokovic is set to be out of action for a “couple of months,” implying that he will not be part of the Sunshine Double – Indian Wells and Miami Masters. It report further indicated that Djokovic will likely make a return in the French Open, which will begin on May 25.

Djokovic has not won a major since lifting the US Open title in 2023 as his hunt for the unprecedented 25th Slam continues.