The penultimate Masters 1000 event starts next week in Shanghai.  Roger Federer already announced a week ago that he was going to skip Shanghai and not return until Basel.  Djokovic was expected to withdraw too, especially after he withdrew from Beijing where he is defending champ.  However, he waited until today to make that announcement.  He claims that he has still not fully recovered from his back ailment that affected him in the US Open and caused him to retire in a Davis Cup match against Juan Martin del Potro.

It is unclear when Djokovic would return.  He played in the finals of Basel, lost somewhat early in Paris, and reached the semis of the ATP World Tour Final.