BELGRADE, Serbia — Novak Djokovic announced on Tuesday that he will not defend his title at the ATP Finals due to an undisclosed injury.

The Serbian tennis star shared his thoughts via an Instagram story, expressing his disappointment: “I was really looking forward to being there, but due to ongoing injury I won’t be playing next week. Apologies to those who were planning to see me.”

The prestigious year-end tournament, featuring eight of the top players, is set to kick off on Sunday in Turin, Italy.

Djokovic holds the record for the most ATP Finals victories, having won seven titles, and he claimed the championship last year by defeating the current world No. 1, Jannik Sinner, in the final match.

In his message, Djokovic extended his best wishes to the competitors participating in the tournament, saying, “Wishing all the players a great tournament. See you soon!”

As the season concludes, Djokovic finishes with a notable 37-9 win-loss record this year, which included a significant achievement: winning his first Olympic gold medal in Paris, marking his 99th title on the tour.

Although he did not add to his historic tally of 24 Grand Slam titles in the current season, his journey saw him exit the U.S. Open in the third round, play only one match in the Davis Cup, and reach the final of the Shanghai Masters last month, where he was defeated by Sinner. Following that, he had to withdraw from the Paris Masters due to injury concerns.