Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the 2025 Cincinnati Open, creating an even bigger hurdle for himself forward of the upcoming U.S. Open.
The withdrawal means the World No. 6 is about to slide additional within the ATP Rankings, with Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur on the verge of surpassing him with their performances within the Toronto Masters. If Djokovic does not arrive at Flushing Meadows as a top-six seed, his path to a record-breaking twenty fifth main will change into extra arduous.
Moreover, Djokovic will enter the U.S. Open with zero hard-court preparation, having not performed a match in 44 days. In his final outing, he was destroyed in straight units by World No. 1 Jannik Sinner within the semifinal at Wimbledon, following which the 38-year-old expressed grave concern about his health ranges for the remainder of the 12 months.
“I suppose taking part in best-of-five, notably this 12 months, has been an actual wrestle for me bodily,” he mentioned. “The longer the match goes, yeah, the more severe the situation will get.”
As he alluded to, Djokovic ran out of fuel on the first three majors of the 12 months, shedding within the semifinals all thrice after his physique began to interrupt down. The worrying pattern has persevered even with Djokovic prioritizing majors over different ATP occasions, fueling chatter that the 24-time main winner could also be nearing the tip of his profession.
Djokovic’s lack of exercise is finest highlighted by the truth that he has performed solely 35 matches in 2025, his fewest in a 12 months (by way of August) since his injury-plagued 2017 season and fewest total since 2005.
The possibilities of Djokovic successful his fifth U.S. Open title appear to be a pipe dream at this level, particularly given his current report in opposition to high seeds Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Final 12 months, he misplaced within the third spherical to Alexei Popyrin, his earliest loss at Flushing Meadows since 2016.
