It wasn’t surprising for Novak Djokovic to take a short break after his grueling Wimbledon campaign. The Serb had stayed away from competitive events for some time after competing at the Australian and French Opens. Amid fans speculating about Djokovic’s hard-court return, he himself has now reassured them with confirmation.

Djokovic will be playing the Cincinnati Masters, which is set to commence on August 13. This will be his first appearance in the tournament since 2023. He confirmed his participation in the tournament through a special message.

“I’m happy to announce that I’m coming to Cincinnati Open,” he said in a statement. “First time since 2023, when I played one of the best best-of-three finals of the Masters 1000 event in my career. Can’t wait to come back and perform in front of you. I’m very excited to see all the fans. Tennis fans around the world are going to be present at that tournament. See you soon.”

The match that Djokovic is referring to is the final between him and Carlos Alcaraz. In what was one of the matches of the season, Djokovic defeated Alcaraz 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 to capture his third title in Cincinnati. The Serb had quite a tough campaign overall, defeating the likes of Gael Monfils, Taylor Fritz and Alexander Zverev on his way to the final.

Djokovic does have a brilliant record at the Cincinnati Masters. He currently boasts a win-loss record of 45-12, having played in eight finals. Notably, Djokovic had lost five finals in the tournament before his maiden triumph in 2018.

He defeated Roger Federer in the final for his first-ever title in Ohio, and it was the title that made him the first player in history to complete the Career Golden Masters. So, it won’t be wrong to say that the tournament holds a special place in Djokovic’s heart.

With the US Open around the corner, the 39-year-old would want to have as much match practice as he can on hard courts. The Cincinnati Masters would provide Djokovic with an ideal opportunity to regain his rhythm and composure. Not to mention that he will also get to play against the world’s best players, as the majority of them are expected to compete at the Masters event.

Djokovic had the opportunity to play two Masters events before the US Open. However, he surprisingly passed on one of these tournaments even though his name was present on the initial entry list.

Novak Djokovic withdrew from the National Bank Open

Djokovic had announced his withdrawal from the Canadian Open on July 24. The tournament is scheduled to commence on August 2. With his Wimbledon campaign coming to an end on July 10, Djokovic had almost a month to prepare for this event.

Having not played at the Canadian Open since 2015, there was real belief that Djokovic would finally make his return to the competition after his name was present on the initial entry list. But he still decided to pull out. But he is not the only headline player who won’t be playing in the tournament.

Notably, Jannik Sinner also withdrew from the Canadian Open on the same date as Djokovic. Having won the Wimbledon title for a second year running last month, it wasn’t surprising to see Sinner take a short break before his return to the Tour. The Italian may also be eyeing the Cincinnati Masters as the tournament where he begins his hard-court season.

Additionally, Carlos Alcaraz will also not be present at the Canadian Open. He has been out of action since April due to a wrist injury. Though the Spaniard is likely in the final stages of his recovery, he has still opted to miss the Masters event. He too is expected to make his much-awaited return to the court at the Cincinnati Masters.

Though three of the most popular players won’t be in action at the Canadian Open, there will still be no lack of star power in the tournament as most of the other top 10 and 20 players are likely to participate.