The Miami Open has found itself at the center of controversy after fans noticed an alarming omission of one of their favorite tennis players in the tournament’s recent promotional visuals. The graphic features the last seven-time winners of the tournament, in which the six-time Miami Open champion, Novak Djokovic, does not have a place. This immediately sparked a backlash among fans online. 

Djokovic has already withdrawn from the tournament due to a right shoulder injury. But this is not the reason why he is not featured on the graphic, as many of the retired players are also there on the poster. Additionally, the announcement came just a few hours ago, while the post was done several hours before. 

The Serbian has not had the best of the Sunshine Double swing in the past decade. The last time he won Indian Wells and the Miami Open was in the same year, 2016. The world No. 3 made it to the fourth round at the Indian Wells, only the second time in 10 years. Last year was the only anomaly where he reached the finals of the Miami Open, losing to Jakub Mensik in two straight set tie-breakers. 

This was his 6th withdrawal from the tournament in the last 10 years. Both the tournaments held extreme importance in Serb’s initial career. He made his debut at the Sunshine double in 2006 and did not miss a single edition till 2016. In that decade, he won the Indian Wells five times, a record tied with Roger Federer. On the other hand, he won the Miami Open six times, which is again a record tied with Andre Agassi. 

Despite this legacy, his absence from the promotional graphic was a shocker to the fans. They did let this go unnoticed. 

Fans condemn Miami Open for not including Novak Djokovic

The Nole fam quickly flooded the comment section of the post, questioning why the tournament chose to exclude one of its greatest champions. 

“Astonishing that you’ve omitted the 6x record breaking champion Novak Djokovic from this. Cc. @JRBlake,” one fan wrote.

James Blake, former world No.4 and current Miami Open tournament director. He has been serving in this position since 2018. Blake is the reason why Hard Rock Stadium is the new home of the Miami Gardens. Fans did not even spare him in their anger. 

Some even thought that it was a marketing gimmick to intentionally not add Djokovic to the poster. As this will brew conversion regarding the tournament.

“Oh i see what you did here! Nice viral thing, you want ppl to talk about it,” Another user expressed similar frustration, pointing out the tournament directory for a suspected marketing strategy. 

One of the users highlighted that some of the retired players were included, but not the runner-up, writing, “@DjokerNole should be included @JRBlake please help us fix this marketing priority. Thank you!”

“You forgot your (still active) record holder and included retired players. Rude,” the fan wrote.

Others simply questioned how the omission could have happened at all. For one, Novak Djokovic has won the Miami Open men’s singles title six times, with his victories coming in 2007, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Not to mention, he’s been a finalist two times (2025 and 2009), marking the only editions he didn’t walk away with the crown. 

Nole’s 2007 triumph was his first ATP Masters 1000 title and, at 19, made him the youngest men’s champion in the tournament’s history at the time. By winning his sixth crown in 2016, he tied Andre Agassi’s record for most men’s singles titles in Miami and completed a fourth Indian Wells–Miami “Sunshine Double,” highlighting his long‑term dominance on North American hard courts. 

“Wait a sec.. Novak won here 6 times and he is not on the Wall of Champions?” another comment read.

“What!!!! Where is the GOAT??? ludicrous you omit No3 in the world and the greatest player… appalling,” a fan wrote.

The backlash has quickly gained traction across tennis circles, with more and more people joining to criticize the move. While the Miami Open has not yet publicly addressed the criticism. It’s very clear that they chose to portray champions from 2018, but the question is, why just from the past seven years? As the debate continues, let us know your thoughts in the comments.