Novak Djokovic Pulls Out of Cincinnati Open Ahead of US Open, Last Played at Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic will no longer compete in the Cincinnati Open this weekend after withdrawing for a "non-medical" reason, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).

The Cincinnati Open would have served as a tune-up event for Djokovic ahead of the US Open at the end of the month, but he'll instead go into the event having last played in the Wimbledon semifinal against Jannik Sinner on July 11.

Djokovic, along with Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, also withdrew from the Toronto Masters, which will conclude this week. Djokovic withdrew from the event because of a groin injury.

Before his semifinal against Sinner at Wimbledon, Djokovic sustained an upper left leg injury after taking a hard fall in his quarterfinal match. That injury clearly weighed heavily on Djokovic as he battled and eventually fell against Sinner.

Djokovic also lost to Sinner in the French Open semifinals earlier this summer, which was his last event before Wimbledon.

His absence from the Cincinnati Open means Djokovic won't have the chance to prepare on a hard court before the US Open.

Djokovic, 38, is a four-time champion at the US Open and most recently won in 2023, which was also the last time he won a grand slam title. While Djokovic's age has proved to be a factor when taking on young stars like Sinner, the all-time great still has plenty left in the tank and is looking to add to his resume before he calls it a career.

He has a tall task ahead of him at the US Open, however. This year has been dominated by Sinner, who won the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and Alcaraz, who won the French Open. It's fair to assume those two will meet again at Flushing Meadows, but it's never a good idea to count Djokovic out of a tournament.