All 3 of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer skip Madrid Masters for first time in tournament history

The 2023 Madrid Masters kicks off on Wednesday, but the Big 3 of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will be conspicuous in their absence. The 2023 edition of the tournament will mark the first time in the tournament's history that no member of the Big 3 will feature in the event. Federer made his Madrid debut in 2002, the year that the tournament began, Nadal in 2003 and Djokovic in 2006.

Federer retired last year, which explains his absence from the field in 2023. Nadal hasn't played since injuring his hip during his Australian Open second-round loss to Mackenzie McDonald.

What was supposed to be a six to eight-week absence got extended, forcing the Spaniard to miss a slew of big tournaments. After skipping the Sunshine Double, Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, he recently pulled out of the Madrid Masters.

"The last few weeks and months have been difficult," he said in a video message. "As you know, I picked up a significant injury in Australia, to my psoas. First it was going to be a six to eight-week recovery period. We’re in the 14th week, and the reality is that the situation is not what we expected.

Nadal continued:

"I was excited to play in the most important tournaments in my career such as Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros. So far, I’ve missed Monte-Carlo and Barcelona and I also wanted to tell you that I won’t be able to be in Madrid."

Meanwhile, Djokovic also recently withdrew from the tournament. The Madrid Masters' official account tweeted without citing the reason or details of the World No. 1's injury:

"DjokerNole is unable to compete at the #MMOPEN Wishing you a speedy recovery, we hope to see you back on court as soon as possible, Nole."

Djokovic made the semifinals at the Madrid Masters last year, losing to eventual winner Carlos Alcaraz in a third-set tiebreak.

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Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are multiple-time winners at Madrid Masters

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic (from right to left)

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have stellar records at the Madrid Masters.

Federer has a 37-9 record at the tournament, winning three titles (2006, 2009. 2012). One of them came in the year that the tournament transitioned to clay, in 2009. He reached the quarterfinals in his last appearance in 2019 (lost to Dominic Thiem).

Nadal has a stellar 56-14 record at the Caja Magica, winning a record five titles (2005, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017). Djokovic, meanwhile, has triumphed thrice at the Masters 1000 tournament (2011, 2016, 2019), where he has a 30-9 record.

Notably, Federer and Nadal won the event on both hardcourt and clay.