Djokovic withdraws; Murray falls at Paris Masters

Paris, France – World No. 1 Novak Djokovic withdrew from seeded Andy Murray came up a loser Friday at the $3.06 million Paris Masters.

Djokovic's withdrawal gave sixth-seeded French star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga a walkover into Saturday's semifinals. Tsonga lost to Djokovic in the 2008 Australian Open finale.

Tsonga was a popular Paris Masters titlist back in 2008.

"I am very sorry for the tournament and the fans in Paris, but my right shoulder is hurting again after winning my first two matches here," said the 2009 Paris Masters titlist Djokovic.

"The doctors have advised that I should rest my shoulder and start treatment as soon as possible. I look forward to returning to the court in London and competing at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals."

The season-ending event in London is scheduled to start November 20.

The 24-year-old Djokovic is enjoying one of the best seasons in tennis history. The Serb has an incredible 69-4 match record, including a 10-1 mark in title matches, becoming the top-ranked player in the world in the process. He also captured three of the year's four Grand Slam events, taking the Aussie Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open crowns.

On the court Friday, fifth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych upset the second-seeded Aussie Open runner-up Andy Murray 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 on the indoor hardcourts at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The ultra-tight affair lasted 3 hours, 12 minutes.

Murray was riding a sizzling 17-match winning streak, which included three titles during the ATP's recent Asian swing.

The 2010 Wimbledon runner-up Berdych captured this Parisian tournament in 2005.

The 2011 Paris Masters titlist will claim $625,000.