Novak Djokovic completed the career Golden Slam with his victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the Olympics and has now decided to take a break and withdraw from the Cincinnati Open. That is according to Shelby Dermer of Cincinnati.com. While Cincinnati represents a popular spot on the tennis tour, the Olympics took a lot out of Djokovic, and he has decided to not defend his title.
Djokovic defeated Alcaraz at the 2023 event in three sets. He lost the first but outlasted the young Alcaraz in tiebreakers in the second and third to take the victory. It was the longest match in the event's history, coming in just a shade under four hours. That was the fourth of seven meetings so far between the two rivals. The elder Djokovic has won four of those matches.
As of Thursday, Alcaraz is expected to play in Cincinnati. Jannik Sinner is the top seed in the tournament and with Novak Djokovic now out, the Spaniard will be the second-ranked player in the field. The event is set to begin on August 13.
Novak Djokovic wins Tennis Olympics in rivalry match
The tennis tournament at the Paris Olympics had the perfect final to represent tennis in 2024. The Novak Djokovic vs. Carlos Alcaraz rivalry has been at the forefront of the sport. He represents the Old against New storyline that is beloved by sports fans and has delivered each time.
Earlier this summer, the 21-year-old Alcaraz defeated the 37-year-old Djokovic at Wimbledon. The win gave Alcaraz his fourth Grand Slam title and his second consecutive Wimbledon title. He remains just one Australian Open title away from the career Grand Slam.
The Ohio fans will unfortunately not be able to see another installment of this great rivalry. Tennis fans should be rooting for as many matchups between these two as possible. The upcoming United States Open will provide a great opportunity on the grandest stage.
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