Novak Djokovic Pulls Out of Cincinnati Open, Eyes US Open Return

Originally posted on Serve on SI | By Pat Benson | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 1:34 PM ET

On Monday afternoon, tennis fans received disheartening news. Novak Djokovic has officially withdrawn from the 2025 Cincinnati Open. It is the second consecutive year Djokovic has missed the event.

Not only is the Cincinnati Open the seventh ATP Masters 1000 event of the season, but it is the final test of the North American hard court swing before the US Open.

That means Djokovic will not have any matches between his semifinal loss to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon (July 11) and the main draw of the US Open (August 24).

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from Cincinnati.

Looks like he will not play any lead up hard court event ahead of the U.S. Open. pic.twitter.com/ArJujr1mPt
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 4, 2025

This is not the first time this season that Djokovic has taken an unusual approach to his scheduling in order to give his body the right balance of rest, recovery, and training.

Before Wimbledon, Djokovic acknowledged that the grass court Major gave him the best and possibly final shot at a 25th Grand Slam title. After losing to Sinner, Djokovic alluded that those chances were now severely diminished.

Djokovic is currently the World No. 6 with a record of 26-9 with one singles title. His lone championship came earlier in May at the Geneva Open, which helped him reach 100 career singles titles.

The Cincinnati Open runs from August 7-18.

This article first appeared on Serve on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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