Novak Djokovic withdraws from Cincinnati Open, following Olympic gold win

The defending champion of the Cincinnati Open won't be defending his title. Novak Djokovic, who just won his first gold medal at the Olympic Games, has withdrawn from the ATP Masters 1000 tournament that begins next week.

“We certainly understand that it is a quick turnaround from his Olympic triumph to come to Cincinnati,” said tournament director Bob Moran. “His title run here last year was so memorable. We are eager to see him on court again soon.”

The Serbian is 45-12 at Cincinnati, with three titles in his last five appearances (2018, 2020 and 2023). He is 3-5 in finals, including a 1-3 mark against Roger Federer. When he defeated the Swiss in 2018, Djokovic not only won his first Cincy title, he completed the set of nine Masters 1000 tournaments.

Djokovic is coming off an emotional Olympic victory in Paris, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz for the fourth time in his career. He will in all likelihood head into the last Grand Slam of the year without competing in a hard-court tournament after Wimbledon.

It was also recently announced that Serbia is planning to honor Djokovic and all of his accomplishments in a museum that would be finished in 2027.

The withdrawal moves Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard into the draw. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the tournament's top two seeds, have yet to win this Masters 1000.