Defending champion Novak Djokovic has moved into the Madrid Open semi-finals, with Kei Nishikori withdrawing before Friday’s match because of a wrist injury.

The sixth-seeded Nishikori said his wrist was “not 100 per cent” and he didn’t “want to risk” a more-serious injury.

Nishikori, who beat world No.2 Djokovic in the 2014 US Open semi-finals, was playing in his first tournament since March. The Japanese player had withdrawn from the Barcelona Open last month because of the lingering wrist injury.

A finalist in Madrid in 2014, Nishikori had lost his past 10 matches against Djokovic, including last year’s semi-finals in Madrid.

Nishikori said he would “take a couple of days off” and try to recover in time to play next week in Rome ahead of the French Open.