Will Novak Djokovic's US Open 2024 chances be affected by Serb's Cincinnati Open withdrawal?
Novak Djokovic will not compete in this season's Cincinnati Open, as confirmed by the tournament. This would mean that the Serb would enter the US Open without competing in any of the hard-court competitions preceding it.
The World No. 2 recently won the men's singles gold at the Paris Olympics by beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) in the final. He thus avenged his loss to the Spaniard in the Wimbledon final.
Djokovic did not compete in the ongoing Canadian Open due to fatigue and it was recently confirmed that he would not participate in the Cincinnati Open either. The tournament's official X page made the announcement.
"Cincinnati will miss our defending champion. We can’t to see more shirt rips in the future," the post read.
Djokovic won last year's edition of the Cincinnati Open after edging out Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) in a thrilling final that lasted three hours and 49 minutes, and was later ranked ATP's match of the year.
With the Serb's withdrawal from the Masters 1000 event, he is set to enter his title defense at the US Open without any prior hard-court experience before the tournament. The Winston Salem Open takes place the week before the commencement of the New York Major but Djokovic is not present in the tournament's entry list as of now.
Will Novak Djokovic's US Open chances be hampered?
For someone of the 37-year-old's experience, quality and mentality, missing two crucial Masters 1000 tournaments ahead of the US Open may not have much of an impact. However, the opposite of this can also be argued, considering the competition he might have at the US Open.
The Serb has often saved his best for big tournaments, as we saw before in 2023. This season, however, his performances have not been as impressive. That said, he did reach the Wimbledon final just weeks after undergoing knee surgery. This was followed by his Olympic triumph, something he desired deeply and was very vocal about before.
After winning the one title in tennis that eluded him, Djokovic would want to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title. The Serb's desire and hunger has often fueled his performances and the same might happen at this year's US Open despite him missing the tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati.
Even if we look at his previous performances in 2024, the Serb will be full of confidence after his Olympic triumph.
That said, Djokovic's last match on hard courts came way back in March at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he lost in the third round. The 37-year-old's lack of game time on the surface might work against him, especially if we look at the competition.
Jannik Sinner has had the best season of his career so far, producing performances that took him to World No. 1, while Carlos Alcaraz, who won the New US Open in 2022, will be eager to bounce back from his Olympic final defeat.
Among other players, Daniil Medvedev is a formidable competitor who won the New York Major in 2021 and reached the final in 2023.
To sum it up, while one might argue that Djokovic might go to the US Open with a lack of preparation, he will be hungry to add another record to his name.