How Novak Djokovic fared at the US Open the previous times he missed Cincinnati
Novak Djokovic will enter the 2025 US Open without having played a singles match since his Wimbledon semi-final loss to Jannik Sinner last month.
The tennis legend withdrew from both the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open — the two hard-court Masters 1000 events in the build-up to the year’s final major.
Djokovic pulled out of Cincinnati citing a non-medical reason, although he did suffer an injury in his Wimbledon quarter-final win against Flavio Cobolli that visibly hampered him in his last four defeat to Sinner.
The 38-year-old is set to play the US Open mixed doubles event with fellow Serb Olga Danilovic the week before the singles events begin in New York.
This will be just the third time in Djokovic’s career that he will play the US Open without having featured in either Canada or Cincinnati after 2021 and 2024.
Here, we look at what happened the three previous times Djokovic did not play in Cincinnati before appearing at Flushing Meadows.
2016
Djokovic missed the 2016 Cincinnati Masters due to a left wrist issue following his opening round loss to Juan Martin del Potro at the Rio Olympics. The tennis event at the 2016 Games was held after the Canadian Open, which Djokovic won in Toronto at the end of July.
The Serbian began his US Open campaign with a four-set win over Jerzy Janowicz before receiving a second round walkover from Jiri Vesely.
In the third round, Djokovic was leading Mikhail Youzhny 4-2 in the first set when the Russian was forced to retire through injury.
After downing Kyle Edmund in straight sets in the last 16, Djokovic benefitted from another retirement when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga — who was trailing 3-6, 2-6 in the pair’s quarter-final — was unable to continue.
The top seed overcame Gael Monfils in four sets in the semi-finals before falling to Stan Wawrinka in a four-set final having won the opening set.
Novak Djokovic News
Jimmy Connors serves up a bold Novak Djokovic US Open prediction
WATCH: First footage of Novak Djokovic’s US Open preparation emerges after Cincinnati withdrawal
2021
In 2021, Djokovic skipped both Canada and Cincinnati after a painful semi-final defeat to Alexander Zverev at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics.
Around a month after the Olympics, Djokovic arrived at the US Open chasing a historic calendar-year Grand Slam after becoming the first man to win the season’s first three majors since Rod Laver in 1969.
Djokovic began his tournament with a four-set win over Holger Rune before claiming the only straight-set triumph of his run against Tallon Griekspoor in the second round.
The world No 1 then fought his way through consecutive four-set matches against Kei Nishikori, Jenson Brooksby and Matteo Berrettini — in the third round, last 16 and quarter-finals.
In the last four, Djokovic toppled Zverev in five sets for his 27th Grand Slam match win in a row. He fell narrowly short of history, though, as he was beaten in straight sets by Daniil Medvedev in the championship match.
2024
After defeating Carlos Alcaraz to secure his maiden gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Djokovic pulled out of both Montreal and Cincinnati before the US Open.
Djokovic eased past Radu Albot in the first round of the New York major before his compatriot Laslo Djere retired hurt with Djokovic up two sets and a break in round two.
The Serbian then suffered a shock four-set defeat to 28th seed Alexei Popyrin in the third round — his earliest exit at a Grand Slam in over seven years.
READ NEXT: The 4 men to defend the Cincinnati Open title: Will Jannik Sinner make it 5?
