CINCY LONG A PIVOTAL STOP FOR DJOKOVIC: THREE-TIME CHAMP RETURNS RIDING 10-MATCH TOURNAMENT WIN STREAK

By Richard Osborn

The all-time ATP Masters 1000 record holder needed a little memory jog.

The owner of an unmatched 40 titles at tennis’ most prestigious events outside the four Grand Slams (he holds the mark for those, too), Novak Djokovic had forgotten that it was here in Cincinnati that he played his very first more than two decades ago.

It was in the summer of 2005 that an 18-year-old Djokovic, then ranked just inside the Top 100 at No. 97, made his Masters 1000 debut, falling to Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, in the opening round of the Cincinnati Open.

“Thanks for reminding me of that,” smiled Djokovic, now 39, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. “I wasn’t aware that this was the first main-draw Masters 1000 that I played in my career. It must have been 2005, right? Yeah, I do remember now. On the Grandstand. It’s been, what, 21 years?”

Much has happened for Djokovic in the intervening years in the Queen City. He would go on to reach five finals between 2008 and 2015, coming up short on each occasion, most often at the hands of rival Roger Federer. When he finally got over the hump in 2018, defeating none other than Federer, 6-4, 6-4, he became the first player to clinch the coveted Career Golden Masters. Cincy was his first Masters; ironically, it was his last in sealing the complete 1000-level set of Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Canada, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris.

Cincinnati would also be where Djokovic became a Double Career Golden Masters champion in 2020, when he defeated Canadian power-server Milos Raonic, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. His third and most recent Cincinnati Open title came in dramatic fashion in 2023, an epic three-hour, 49-minute 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) thriller over Carlos Alcaraz, a match that stands as the longest best-of-three-set final in tour history — a contest he said was “one of the most exciting and toughest mentally, emotionally, physically” that he has ever played.

“Great memories,” said Djokovic, the No. 3 seed in 2026. “It took me a while to win my first title here, winning it for the first time against Roger. It was a hard hurdle for me to overcome, really. But once I got the first title, it was a huge relief in a sense, knowing that I won at least one.”

The fan backing, in addition to the trophies, has kept Djokovic coming back all these years, too.

“I’ve had some great support here from Illinois and Chicago and Ohio, where the Serbian community is pretty big. That’s what I remember from the ’18 and ‘23 finals, actually, quite a lot of Serbian flags in the stadium. That was really nice. I always look forward to playing this tournament. I think it has become one of the favorite Masters events for most of the players.”

Djokovic is selective when it comes to his schedule these days. He’s earned the right to be choosy, an unequaled 24 major singles titles on his resume, in many eyes the undisputed GOAT. The fifth-ranked superstar has played just 19 tour-level matches this year, though it’s a case of quality over quantity. In January, he became the oldest man in the Open Era to reach the Australian Open singles final when he defeated Jannik Sinner, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, in a grueling four-hour marathon. In June, he outlasted Felix Auger-Aliassime in a historic five-hour, five-set battle, 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(4), the longest quarterfinal in the annals of Wimbledon.

Ageless. Indefatigable.

We can only imagine what he might do if he were back on the tour full time, week in, week out. But Djokovic is very much transitioning into his post-tennis life, a husband-father determined to do some sacrificing of his own.

“The family did it for me all these years, for most of my career, most of my life, where everything revolves around me. It’s not really like that anymore,” said Djokovic, back in Cincinnati for the first time in three years and unbeaten in his last 10 matches on P&G Stadium Court. “I need to get out of that kind of role. I’m trying to balance the roles of a professional tennis player and father, husband, son, brother, trying to be the best I can be in all these different roles. It takes time, it takes energy, so it’s a work in progress.”

“I kind of underestimated how big the support, the sacrifice was from all of the family members around me in order for them to allow me to create space for 20 plus years to do my thing.”

No one would be surprised if Djokovic ‘did his thing’ one more time in Cincinnati.