Novak Djokovic could significantly drop in the ATP Rankings after he made a decision to withdraw from the 2024 Cincinnati Open.
The Serbian player hasn't played many matches in 2024, and he also didn't have a lot of success, but none of that seemingly matters to him right now, because all of that was shone over by one of the greatest achievements of his tennis career.
Early in 2024, Djokovic struggled a lot. He lost in the semi-finals of the Australian Open to Jannik Sinner, he was then stunned in his second match at Indian Wells by Luca Nardi, and Casper Ruud bested him in the semi-finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Shocking losses didn't end there, as Alejandro Tabilo bested the 24-time major winner in Rome, and Djokovic also lost to Tomas Machac in Geneva despite winning the second set 6-0. As if it was not enough, his Roland Garros participation was stopped by an injury that forced him to undergo surgery.
He miraculously bounced back and made it to the Wimbledon Championships final, which was his first final of the season, but Carlos Alcaraz totally overpowered him at SW19, winning 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4). Yet, none of that probably matters to Djokovic right now.
He won the 2024 Paris Olympics, beating none other than Carlos Alcaraz in an epic final. It was the only triumph that he missed in his collection, and once he won the gold medal for his country, celebrations could begin.
It was a huge physical and mostly emotional release for the 37-year-old, who has decided to take plenty of weeks off before returning to the ATP Tour and competing at the 2024 US Open, unless he makes a U-turn on that decision.
That meant that he withdrew from the 2024 Canadian Open, but he didn't play the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Canada last year either, so that decision wasn't that surprising.
However, Djokovic now withdrew also from the Cincinnati Open, where he won the title last year after yet another epic final against Alcaraz, beating him 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4), before going on to win the US Open, which was his 24th Grand Slam title.
That means that he will lose all of the points that he earned at the last year's tournament in Cincinnati. For a win of the ATP Masters 1000 event, the Serbian got 1,000 points, and he will lose all of that in a couple of weeks.
As a result, the current World No. 2 will drop his points total from 8,460 to 7,460, which will be only 110 more than his closest rival for the No. 2 position, Alcaraz. However, the Spaniard should play in Cincinnati, which means that if he reaches the quarter-finals, he will overtake the Serbian player.
On top of that, Alexander Zverev will also have a chance to do that. He is currently ensured to have at least 6,585 points after the Cincinnati Open, but unlike Djokovic and Alcaraz, he also competes at the Canadian Open, which gives him more chances to earn points and overtake the Serbian legend, who could drop to the World No. 4 position after the 2024 Cincinnati Open.
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