Novak Djokovic will team up with fellow Serb Nikola Cacic as he returns to doubles action at the Cincinnati Open in Ohio. The 23-time Grand Slam champion will only play just the one tournament before his next Grand Slam, the US Open, at the end of August.
Djokovic has not been on court since losing a thrilling five-set Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz last month. But he has confirmed he will make up a stacked field in Cincinnati from August 14 to August 20.
All of the world’s top 10 have been entered into the Masters 1000 and Djokovic will not only play singles but doubles too. It has been confirmed he and Cacic will form an all-Serbian partnership.
Cacic, 32, was a member of the Serbia team that won the ATP Cup three years ago. He is a double regular and has won three titles with an 84-83 career win-loss record. The doubles world No 57 is currently 14-12 for the current calendar year.
The pair have played together before but only in international events. They lost to German pair Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff in the Davis Cup in February 2021. They also suffered defeat in the Davis Cup to Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in December the same year.
Djokovic and Cacic did get the better of Kazakhstan’s Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov days later though. But they have not teamed up since. Since that December loss, Djokovic has only played another three doubles matches In total – with Filip Krajinovic at the 2021 Davis Cup, with Matteo Berrettini at the 2022 Laver Cup for Roger Federer’s farewell and with Vasek Pospisil at the Adelaide International this year.
Djokovic is a two-time Cincy champion having also lost a further five finals, three to Roger Federer and two to Andy Murray. With the US Open the week after, he will hope for a strong run in both the singles and doubles.
The world No 2 also had the Canadian Open in Toronto on his pre-US Open schedule but withdrew due to fatigue. He explained: “I have always enjoyed my time in Canada but after speaking with my team we believe this is the right decision to take.”
Djokovic has not won in New York since 2018. The three-time winner and nine-time finalist was unable to participate last year due to not being vaccinated against Covid. Those restrictions have since been relaxed, so he is free to compete this year despite still not having any jabs.
One more Grand Slam would see him level Margaret Court’s record for the most Majors of all time on 24. Alcaraz is the reigning champion at Flushing Meadows and the 20-year-old Spaniard will hope to underline his growing reputation as the new man to beat with more US Open glory.
Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic said of Alcaraz: “It will be a big fight again. It is good that at Wimbledon, but also before in Paris, a rivalry was created between two players who are 16 years apart. Each of their next matches will be even better, crazier and more watched.”