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Why Novak Djokovic withdrew from Cincinnati Open 2025 as former World No. 1 cuts down on tournaments
Novak Djokovic is set to miss the Cincinnati Open for a second consecutive year. Image: Reuters
Novak Djokovic will not be competing at the Cincinnati Open for the second consecutive year, the tournament organisers confirmed on Monday. The 24-time Grand Slam winner has not competed professionally since losing in the semi-finals of Wimbledon to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
The 38-year-old Djokovic had also pulled out of the Cincinnati Open 2024 as defending champion after winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics 204. This time, he has pulled out due to a non-medical reason.
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Why did Djokovic pull out of Cincinnati Open?
The Cincinnati Open is a warm-up tournament leading into the US Open; hence, it's a surprise that Djokovic has decided against taking part in the competition. However, after suffering from a hip and groin injury during the semi-final of Wimbledon, Djokovic may have decided to give his body more rest as he aims to win his 25th Grand Slam title.
The US Open is scheduled to take place from 24 August to 7 September 7 in New York City.
World No. 6 Djokovic boasts a 45-12 tournament record at the ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati Open, which will take place from August 5 to 18. In his last appearance in 2023, the Serb saved a championship point as he went on to beat Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) in a thrilling final.
With growing age and regular fitness issues, Djokovic has been seen playing very few tournaments in 2025. He retired in the Australian Open 2025 semi-final against Alexander Zverev due to a groin injury.
Later in May, he became only the third player to win 100 ATP tour-level titles in Geneva in May, but he has only competed in two tournaments since then.
Those two tournaments are the French Open and Wimbledon, as Djokovic reached the semi-finals and lost to Sinner on both occasions.
It will be interesting to see how Djokovic does at the US Open without playing in warm-up tournaments. The 2025 US Open men's and women's singles draws will be announced on 21 August.
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