Djokovic bids an early farewell to Cincinnati

Serbian star Novak Djokovic, the former world No. 1 and three-time champion of the $1 million Cincinnati Masters tennis tournament, was eliminated in his opening match yesterday after losing to Argentina’s Thiago Agustín Tirante (world No. 50) in a contest marked by physical struggles.

The 39-year-old player started the match ideally, winning the first set 6-2, before gradually showing clear signs of fatigue. He lost the next two sets 4-6 and 4-6 in his first appearance since losing in the Wimbledon semifinals a month ago to Italy’s Jannik Sinner.

The heat in Cincinnati (29 degrees Celsius with humidity reaching 72%) in the midwestern United States negatively impacted the performance of the 24-time Grand Slam champion, leading to his defeat. The 25-year-old Argentine relied on his serve and powerful groundstrokes, including 13 aces and 40 winners, one of which reached a speed of 193 km/h. Djokovic was eliminated from the second round of the American tournament for the first time since 2007, after a three-year absence, just two weeks before the US Open, the final Grand Slam event of the year.

Apart from Grand Slam tournaments, Djokovic’s appearances have become rare, and he confirmed that the heat took its toll on him amid rumors of retirement. “It seems I will not be able to return to play (in Cincinnati), unfortunately,” he said. He added, “It was a combination of heat and humidity, all of it. All these factors combined only made things worse.”

In contrast to Djokovic, German player Alexander Zverev, the tournament’s top seed and world No. 3, advanced to the third round after defeating Britain’s Cameron Norrie, ranked 35th, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

In other notable results, Australia’s Alex de Minaur, ranked fifth, reached the third round after defeating France’s Quentin Halys 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).

In the women’s draw, Czech Wimbledon champion Linda Nosková, seeded sixth, advanced to the third round by beating Britain’s Katie Boulter 6-3, 6-3. Similarly, American Jessica Pegula, seeded third, defeated Switzerland’s Simona Waltert 6-3, 6-2. Meanwhile, the impressive Filipino player Alexandra Eala reached the third round after leading Romania’s Elena Gabriela Ruse 6-1, 3-0 before Ruse retired.