USA, Two years after losing to Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final, Novak Djokovic returned to the US for the Cincinnati Masters.
Djokovic will begin the Cincinnati Masters with a match against either Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round tomorrow, August 16. Nole has also signed up to play doubles. He will be paired with Cacic - the only Serbian in the top 100 doubles players on the ATP. The Serbian pair will meet Jamie Murray and Michael Venus in the first round of men's doubles today, August 15.
Djokovic during a practice session on August 14 in Cincinnati. Photo: AP
Djokovic has not been able to play in any tournaments in the US since the 2021 US Open due to not having a vaccine passport. With the US government lifting entry restrictions for those who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19, the 36-year-old is eligible to enter the US to play a series of tournaments during the August hard-court season, including the Grand Slam in New York. Nole withdrew from the Rogers Cup in Canada last week due to lack of fitness.
Djokovic has won the Cincinnati Masters twice, most recently in 2020. He won his first title there in 2018, completing his Golden Masters (winning nine different Masters). He has also won the US Open three times, in 2011, 2015 and 2018.
Djokovic has not played since the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets. The world number two's goal at this year's US Open is to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam titles.
"If I didn't have motivation after Wimbledon, I wouldn't be here," Djokovic said at a press conference ahead of the Cincinnati Masters. "After so many years of playing professional tennis, I feel like I have the right to choose which tournament I want to play. I really want to be here in Cincinnati, as well as the US Open."
Djokovic is 600 points behind Alcaraz in the ATP rankings, and has an advantage in the race for the world number one spot. Alcaraz will have to defend 180 points at the Cincinnati Masters and 2,000 points at the US Open, while Djokovic has no points to defend as he did not play in either tournament last year.
Vy Anh
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