Djokovic Announces Return to Cincinnati and Pursuit of Record 25th Grand Slam
After a months-long break, Novak Djokovic returns to the ATP Tour with the goal of winning his 25th Grand Slam title at the US Open.
After a months-long break, Novak Djokovic returns to the ATP Tour with the goal of winning his 25th Grand Slam title at the US Open.
Legendary Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic (39) announced on social media on Thursday, July 30, 2026, that he is returning to the ATP Tour. As reported by Sportske novosti and Net.hr, Djokovic posted a video on Instagram confirming his appearance at the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati in mid-August, which will be his first tournament after more than a month off.
His last official match was in the Wimbledon semifinals, where he was defeated by world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who later went on to win the tournament. Now the 39-year-old turns his focus back to the court with ambitions that remain undimmed.
Djokovic returns to Cincinnati for the first time since 2023, when he beat Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in one of the most dramatic finals in Masters 1000 history, winning 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4). The match lasted three hours and 49 minutes, with the Serbian saving a match point in the second-set tiebreak. It was his third title in Cincinnati and his 40th Masters 1000 trophy, still a record.
"I'm happy to announce that I am returning to the tournament in Cincinnati this year, for the first time since 2023, when I played one of the best two-set finals in Masters 1000 events of my career," Djokovic said in an Instagram video, as reported by Sportske novosti.
The 2026 season has been sparse for Djokovic. He has played only two tournaments: Indian Wells, where he was stopped in the fourth round, and Rome, where he lost as early as the second round. He also withdrew from the Canadian Masters in Montreal, scheduled from August 2 to 13. According to sources, the toll of age and injuries is increasingly weighing on him, explaining his reduced schedule.
After Cincinnati, Djokovic plans to close his American tour at the US Open (August 30 - September 13, 2026), where he will make his 20th appearance at that Grand Slam. The goal is clear: a 25th Grand Slam title, which has eluded him since 2023, when he won the US Open on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the fourth time.
Since then, he has come close twice: in 2024, he lost the Wimbledon final to Alcaraz, and the same happened at the 2026 Australian Open. Over the past three years, he has reached the Grand Slam semifinals six times, the quarterfinals once, and lost in the third round twice, statistics that show he is still at the top, though the final step has been missing.
The Serbian star knows that on the path to the record, he will have to face young lions like Alcaraz and Sinner, but the return to Cincinnati brings back good memories and hope that his form can peak just in time for New York.
