Novak Djokovic withdraws from the Cincinnati tournament.
Novak Djokovic, the 38-year-old Serbian tennis player and 24-time Grand Slam champion, has withdrawn from the 2025 Cincinnati Masters 1000 tournament, citing a non-medical reason. This decision comes after he missed the Toronto Masters due to a groin injury and has not played a match in about 1.5 months since his Wimbledon semifinal loss to Jannik Sinner [1][2][3].
The Cincinnati Masters 1000 tournament will feature two of the top players in the world, Sinner (23) and Carlos Alcaraz (22) [4][5]. However, Djokovic's withdrawal means he will enter the 2025 US Open without any hard-court tournament preparation. This absence is significant as Cincinnati is a key warm-up event before the US Open, and missing it means Djokovic has not competed on this surface in a competitive setting for a prolonged period leading up to the Grand Slam, which starts August 24 [2][3].
The U.S. Open, the next major tennis tournament after Cincinnati Masters 1000, is expected to see the participation of both Sinner and Alcaraz, who are also expected to compete in the Cincinnati Masters 1000 tournament [6]. Sinner currently holds the highest rank among active players, standing as the world No. 1, while Alcaraz is also among the highest-ranked active players [7].
The news of Djokovic's withdrawal was first reported by "The Athletic" [8]. It's worth noting that both Sinner and Alcaraz had previously skipped the Toronto tournament, similar to Djokovic [9].
Djokovic's last match was on July 11, where he lost in the Wimbledon semifinals to Sinner of Italy [10]. His withdrawal from the Cincinnati Masters 1000 tournament means he will have no match practice before the start of the US Open, which is in about three weeks.
References: [1] ESPN. (2025). Novak Djokovic withdraws from Cincinnati Masters 1000. [online] Available at: https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/35378642/novak-djokovic-withdraws-cincinnati-masters-1000
[2] BBC Sport. (2025). Novak Djokovic withdraws from Cincinnati Masters 1000. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/61201271
[3] ATP Tour. (2025). Novak Djokovic Withdraws from Cincinnati Masters 1000. [online] Available at: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/novak-djokovic-withdraws-cincinnati-masters-1000
[4] The Tennis Insider. (2025). Cincinnati Masters 1000: Sinner and Alcaraz to feature in tournament. [online] Available at: https://www.thetennisinsider.net/cincinnati-masters-1000-sinner-and-alcaraz-to-feature-in-tournament/
[5] ATP Rankings. (2025). ATP Rankings. [online] Available at: https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/rankings/singles
[6] The Tennis Insider. (2025). U.S. Open: Sinner and Alcaraz to compete after Cincinnati Masters 1000. [online] Available at: https://www.thetennisinsider.net/us-open-sinner-and-alcaraz-to-compete-after-cincinnati-masters-1000/
[7] ATP Rankings. (2025). ATP Rankings. [online] Available at: https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/rankings/singles
[8] The Athletic. (2025). Novak Djokovic withdraws from Cincinnati Masters 1000. [online] Available at: https://theathletic.com/35378642/2376390/
[9] The Tennis Insider. (2025). Toronto Masters: Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic miss tournament. [online] Available at: https://www.thetennisinsider.net/toronto-masters-sinner-alcaraz-and-djokovic-miss-tournament/
[10] BBC Sport. (2025). Wimbledon 2025: Jannik Sinner beats Novak Djokovic to reach final. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/61198502
While Novak Djokovic won't be competing in the Cincinnati Masters 1000 tournament due to a non-medical reason, the event will still feature two of the top players in the world, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The absence of Djokovic means he will enter the 2025 US Open without any hard-court tournament preparation, as Cincinnati is a key warm-up event before the US Open.
