7 players who will miss Cincinnati 2024 ft. Novak Djokovic, Danielle Collins, Madison Keys | Western & Southern Open
The ATP and WTA Tours will head to Cincinnati this week for the Western & Southern Open 2024. The main draw action will begin with the night session on Monday, August 12, and will conclude with the finals on August 19.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek returns to action after giving last week's Canadian Open a miss. Coco Gauff is the defending champion, while Aryna Sabalenka is a three-time semifinalist at the venue.
Carlos Alcaraz will begin his preparation for the US Open here as well. Jannik Sinner leads the field as the top seed. The Italian's title defense at the Canadian Open came to an end in the quarterfinals, though he wasn't at his best due to another health issue.
While most top players have gathered in Cincinnati, a few of them are missing in action due to various reasons. Here are the seven well-known names who won't be participating in this year's edition of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati:
#7 - Barbora Krejcikova
Krejcikova, who recently captured her second Major crown at Wimbledon, is out of the Western & Southern Open due to a left thigh injury. It affected her performance at the Paris Olympics as well, where she lost in the quarterfinals in singles and doubles.
Krejcikova was absent from the Canadian Open as well. She made the quarterfinals in Cincinnati on her debut in 2021 but crashed out in the first round the next two years. She could've broken that trend this year given her form. She'll now race against time to be fit for the US Open.
#6 - Alex de Minaur
De Minaur sustained a hip injury while closing out his fourth-round match against Arthur Fils. While he won that match, he unfortunately had to withdraw from his quarterfinal clash against Novak Djokovic.
The Australian then pulled out of the Paris Olympics from singles, though he gave doubles a shot and lost in the first round. He missed the Canadian Open last week, where he was the runner-up last year. He has now opted out of the Western & Southern Open as well.
This has been a career-best season for de Minaur, having won two titles and cracking the top 10 of the ATP rankings. He also reached the French Open quarterfinals. The timing of the injury is quite unfortunate, and it appears to be quite serious as well.
#5 Maria Sakkari
Sakkari is noted for her fitness, and she hasn't missed a Major since the start of 2016. She has also competed in every WTA 1000 tournament since 2021. However, a shoulder injury brought an end to that streak as she was ruled out of the Canadian Open.
The same injury has now forced Sakkari out of the Western & Southern Open as well. She's a two-time quarterfinalist in Cincinnati and is likely to head to the US Open without any significant match play under her belt.
#4 - Alexander Bublik
Bublik did compete at the Canadian Open in both singles and doubles, losing in the first round. However, the Kazakh isn't participating in the Western & Southern Open this time. He mentioned dealing with some discomfort since the start of the grass swing.
Bublik's withdrawal here is likely to deal with the same and be in top shape before the start of the US Open. Players naturally prioritize Majors over all other tournaments, so it's not a surprise to see him skip this tournament if the presumed injury is the reason.
#3 - Danielle Collins
Collins retired halfway through the third set of her quarterfinal clash against Swiatek at the Paris Olympics. The injury seems to be quite serious as she has pulled out of the Western & Southern Open as well.
Considering that this is her farewell season, Collins would be extremely disappointed that she won't be competing in Cincinnati one last time. Her record at the venue is quite underwhelming, with only one win from four appearances.
#2 - Madison Keys
Keys was on the cusp of victory during her fourth-round match against Jasmine Paolini at Wimbledon. However, she injured herself and had to retire with the score tied at 5-5 in the third set.
The American returned to action at the Canadian Open but it was a little too soon for her. She aggravated the existing injury and threw in the towel halfway through the third set against Peyton Stearns in the second round.
Keys has now withdrawn from the Western & Southern Open in order to recover. She's a former champion in Cincinnati, winning the title back in 2019, her first and so far only, at the WTA 1000 level.
#1 - Novak Djokovic
Unlike other players on this list, Djokovic isn't injured but is merely being selective about his schedule. He finally captured his first Olympic gold medal a couple of weeks ago, and is taking some well-deserved rest.
Djokovic skipped the Canadian Open and has withdrawn from the Western & Southern Open too. He's the defending champion in Cincinnati and defeated Alcaraz in a thrilling final last year in which he saved a championship point.
Djokovic did the same after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and directly competed at the US Open without participating in any warm-up events. He made the final in New York that year and will be expected to make a deep run once again after his Olympic triumph.