Why Novak Djokovic described his last match in Cincinnati as one of the toughest of his career as he withdraws in 2025

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Fans of the Serbian star will have to wait a bit longer to see him return to action as he withdraws from another ATP tournament.

24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was last seen at Wimbledon, where he lost to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals.

Djokovic subsequently withdrew from the Canadian Open tournament, alongside Sinner and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.

He had been expected to return in Ohio, although it has now been revealed that won’t be the case, as Djokovic is set to skip the Cincinnati Open as well.

Missing the tournament for the second year in a row, Djokovic hasn’t made an appearance at the Cincinnati Open since 2023, when he played one of the ‘toughest’ matches of his entire tennis career.

Novak Djokovic said his 2023 Cincinnati Open final v Carlos Alcaraz was ’emotionally and physically’ tough

Just months after Alcaraz beat Djokovic in a thrilling five-set Wimbledon final, the pair met once more, in the Cincinnati Open final.

Djokovic looked in brilliant shape to get his revenge on Alcaraz, advancing to the final without dropping a set, while the Spaniard was made to work a lot harder during his opening four matches.

The Serb may have been favored heading into the match, but it was Alcaraz who took the early lead, battling through to take a tight first set 7-5.

Not prepared to suffer another heartbreaking defeat to Alcaraz, Djokovic fought back, surviving a second-set tiebreaker, to level things up at 5-7, 7-6 [9-7].

They couldn’t be separated in the decider, as the 2023 Cincinnati Open final headed to a tiebreak.

There, it was Djokovic who prevailed, outlasting his younger rival after almost four hours of thrilling hard-court action.

During his post-match press conference, Djokovic reflected on his marathon final win over Alcaraz.

“It’s a crazy match that we’ve been through today. Roller coaster of a match, to be honest. I don’t think I’ve played too many matches like this in my life,” he said.

“Maybe I can compare it to [Rafael] Nadal in the finals of the Australian Open 2012 that went the distance. Obviously, three sets today, but almost four hours.

“Some phases of the match went the way of one player, some the other player. We went kind of toe to toe. I started off better, but then just struggled a lot physically on the court.

“Just one of the most exciting and toughest mentally, emotionally, physically matches that I’ve ever had in my career.”

Remembering specific points in the match, Djokovic couldn’t help but smile, having played his part in another classic.

“When he played a poor game to give me the break, I was quite solid that game. I thought, Okay, maybe I have a chance. Then I fought and believed that I could make it. It was really anybody’s game,” he said.

“I thought the third set I had many chances, maybe even for a double break. The match point at 5-3 was unbelievable (smiling).

“It was kind of a showcase of what this whole match was about, that match point saved from him.”

Defeating Alcaraz in the final, Djokovic won his third Cincinnati Open title, although he will now have to wait until 2026 to add to his tally.

Novak Djokovic’s last appearances at the nine Masters 1000 events

As Djokovic nears the end of his career, he’s slowed down on the ATP Tour, putting more of a focus on the four Grand Slam events.

The Serbian star often skips Masters 1000 tournaments as a result, some of which he hasn’t appeared at for several years.

It remains to be seen if Djokovic will make his Masters 1000 return in Shanghai, but it will certainly be something to look out for.

The 2025 Shanghai Masters are scheduled to begin on Monday, September 29.