Novak Djokovic to play doubles at Cincinnati Masters

Ohio (US) : Novak Djokovic signed up for a doubles draw with compatriot Nikola Cacic at Cincinnati Masters, his only warm-up event before the US Open, as per the entry list released on Monday.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner had already been confirmed for the singles of the ATP Masters 1000 event, which will be held from August 13-20.

This will not be the first time Djokovic will play a doubles event. Earlier, he played doubles ahead of his successful title run at the Australian Open at the start of the year when he teamed up with Vasek Pospisil at the Adelaide Open, but the pair lost in the first round.

The Serbian has been out of action since his Wimbledon final loss against world no. 1 Carlos Alcaraz a little over two weeks ago. He further delayed his return to the tennis court by skipping the Canadian Open.

The singles and doubles clashes in Cincinnati will be Djokovic’s only competitive matches before the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, starts on August 28 at Flushing Meadows in New York.

Djokovic will return to the US for the first time in two years. He had missed last year’s edition due to vaccine protocols that require international travelers to be vaccinated against Covid-19.