Novak Djokovic’s US Open preparation cut short as hunt for Grand Slam title 24 continues
Djokovic recently revealed that he will skip the Canadian Masters this year and go for Cincinnati in preparation of the US Open
Novak Djokovic (Credits: Tennis Majors)
Serbian tennis star and current World No. 2 Novak Djokovic recently revealed that he will not be participating in the Canadian Open this year.
Speaking to a Belgian Media outlet, the Serb mentioned that he will instead play the next Masters tournament at Cincinnati, in preparation for the final major of the year at the US Open. “Yes, that’s the plan for now. I will play in Cincinnati as preparation for New York,” Djokovic said.
Djokovic missed last year’s edition of the US Open due to his vaccination restrictions. In light of this, it was expected that Djokovic would participate in both Masters tournaments leading up to the US Open for more practice.
Interestingly, the news wouldn’t come as a surprise to most fans as it is nearly common practice now for the Serb to miss the first Masters tournament right after the grass season. Djokovic last participated in the Canadian Masters back in 2018, fresh off his first major title after injury. He lost to rising star and eventual runner–up Stefanos Tsitsipas that year.
Also read: Novak Djokovic seen vacationing in Montenegro after heartbreaking Wimbledon finals loss
Novak Djokovic usually skips the Canadian Masters to rest himself after Grass – court season
The most significant reason for this trend of Novak Djokovic ditching the Canadian Masters is that he usually has a heavy grass court season which sees him go deep in the draw at Wimbledon or outright win the title. Given his age, the Serb needs to be careful with scheduling, and must focus on participating in tournaments when he feels most fit.
Djokovic did not actively participate in most of the big tournaments of the North American Hardcourt Swing last year given his vaccination status. This gives him the unique opportunity of amassing many points simply by making deep runs within the tournaments.
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, in contrast, has many points to defend in the upcoming tournaments. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the No. 1 ranking goes back to Djokovic at the end of the US Open, since he has everything to gain from it, while Alcaraz has nothing.
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Ketan Kunkalikar
(129 Articles Published)