Novak Djokovic is ready to roll at the Western & Southern Open.
The Serbian star enjoyed an intense first practice in Cincinnati Saturday evening on centre court, where plenty of fans packed the stadium to catch a glimpse of the 38-time ATP Masters 1000 champion.
Djokovic worked hard under the watchful eye of coach Goran Ivanisevic, training in the Ohio humidity with team member Carlos Gomez-Herrera. The second seed worked on his baseline game with Gomez-Herrera before Ivanisevic stepped in to feed balls for more specific drills with the Serbian.
The two-time Western & Southern Open titlist (2018 in Cincinnati, 2020 at Flushing Meadows) also worked on his serve and return. After finishing his session, Djokovic made time for his fans by signing autographs .
The 36-year-old carries a 40-12 record at this tournament and will compete in Cincinnati for the first time since 2019, when he reached the semi-finals. This will be Djokovic’s first tournament in the United States since the 2021 US Open, in which he fell to Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Djokovic’s last action of any kind came last month at Wimbledon, where he reached the championship match only to fall short to Carlos Alcaraz in a memorable final. The No. 2 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, who has an opportunity to reclaim top spot from Alcaraz in Cincinnati, is 33-5 in 2023 with titles at Adelaide, the Australian Open and Roland Garros.
Photo credits: ATP Tour
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