CINCY FLASHBACKS: NOVAK DJOKOVIC’S TOP 5 CINCINNATI OPEN MOMENTS

By Richard Osborn

As Novak Djokovic prepares to make his return to the Queen City for the first time in three years, we look back on the three-time champion’s run at the Cincinnati Open.

The 39-year-old Serb hasn’t lost a match here since 2019, having won the title in his last two appearances (2020, 2023). The winner of a record 24 Grand Slams, he owns 101 career singles titles, and has held the No. 1 ranking for an unequaled 428 weeks.

1 | LONGEST BEST-OF-THREE-SET FINAL IN ATP TOUR HISTORY
2023 FINAL: DJOKOVIC DEF. ALCARAZ, 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4)

Novak’s third Cincinnati Open title came courtesy of an indelible three-hour, 49-minute, 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) epic over Carlos Alcaraz — a match that stands as the longest three-set final in tour history. A set and 4-2 down and running on fumes, he somehow found a way back into the match, saving a championship point and subsequently shredding his own shirt in celebration. Djokovic, at 36 the oldest Cincy champion in the Open Era, would call the match “one of the most exciting and toughest mentally, emotionally, physically” that he has ever played. Standing side by side with his 20-year-old foe during the trophy presentation, Djokovic famously said, “Boy, you never give up, man!” Said an emotional Alcaraz: “I feel proud of myself, honestly. I don’t know why I was crying because I fought until the last ball. I almost beat one of the greatest of all time from our sport. It’s crazy to talk about it right now, but I left the court really, really proud of what I did.” (Alcaraz would get a Cincinnati Open title of his own two years later.)

2 | A DOUBLE CAREER GOLDEN MASTERS CHAMPION
2020 FINAL: DJOKOVIC DEF. RAONIC, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4

The 2020 edition of the Cincinnati Open was unlike any before. Played amidst pandemic restrictions, the tournament was moved to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., in order to reduce unnecessary player travel and centralize with the subsequent US Open. The logistical chaos didn’t seem to trip up Djokovic, who with his win over power server Milos Raonic extended his spotless record on the year to 23-0. He became the sport’s only Double Career Golden Masters champion. “I’m trying to make the most of my career, trying to use this time when I feel that I am physically, mentally, emotionally, game-wise, at the peak. I think I’m playing some of the best tennis that I have ever played. Going on an unbeaten run so far this year brings even more confidence each match. I’m just trying to enjoy it and embrace the process. How long that journey is going to last and what kind of legacy I’m going to leave behind, that’s on somebody else to judge and evaluate.”

3 | SOLVING ROGER (AT LAST)
2018 FINAL: DJOKOVIC DEF. FEDERER, 6-4, 6-4

Cincinnati wasn’t always an easy tour stop for Djokovic, today the holder of a record 40 ATP Masters 1000 titles. In fact, he was winless in his first FIVE trips to the title match in the Queen City, three of those losses having come at the hands of Roger Federer in 2009, 2012 and 2015. But Djokovic finally found a way to solve Federer in 2018. In doing so, he became the first player to clinch the Career Golden Masters, having won all nine 1000 events in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Canada, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris. “Definitely one of the most special moments in my career,” said Djokovic, who notched three Top-10 wins in taking the Rookwood Cup. “Making history in the sport that I truly love is a great privilege and honor, and something that I’ll be very proud of for the rest of my life. This trophy has been a big motivation for me. It wasn’t easy psychologically because I knew I had lost to him every time I played him on this court.”

4 | SNAPPING RAFA’S STREAK
2008 SEMIFINALS: DJOKOVIC DEF. NADAL, 6-1, 7-5

Rafael Nadal came into the 2008 Cincinnati Open red hot. The Spaniard was riding a jarring 32-match win streak that included his first Roland Garros-Wimbledon double-up and a pair of ATP Masters 1000 titles in Hamburg and Toronto. But Djokovic was on his game, too, having captured his maiden Grand Slam singles trophy in January at the Australian Open, and two 1000 titles of his own in Indian Wells and Rome. By stepping into the court, staying aggressive, and taking time away from his opponent, the Serb was able to secure only his fourth win over Nadal in 13 head-to-head meetings, 6-1, 7-5. “Nobody is unbeatable, but the way he was playing we all thought that he’s wasn’t going to lose any time soon,” said Djokovic of Nadal, then just weeks away from an Olympic gold medal and his first appearance as the world No. 1. “I just tried not to think about his winning streak and his new ranking spot.”

5 | A GOAT-IN-THE-MAKING MAKES HIS MASTERS DEBUT
2005 FIRST ROUND: GONZALEZ DEF. DJOKOVIC, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4

On Aug. 15, 2005, an 18-year-old Djokovic, then ranked just inside the Top 100 at No. 97, makes his ATP Masters 1000 main-draw debut in Ohio, where as a qualifier he falls to Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez in three hard-fought sets, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4. No one (except perhaps Djokovic himself) knows it then, but the Belgradian will go on to reach eight finals at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, capturing the title in 2018, 2020, and 2023.