Novak Djokovic returned to winning ways on US soil at the 2023 Cincinnati Masters for the first time in two years, but it's not the type of 'win' he enjoys.
It wasn't a textbook victory because it came after his opponent Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired from the match. The match itself lasted about 40ish minutes and saw the Serbian take a very competitive first set 6-4. The Spaniard took a medical timeout in the middle of the opening set, going off-court for it. He returned and continued playing but was broken immediately after that.
Despite that, Fokina managed to break back and make it 4-5 but then lost his serve once more as his physical troubles continued. He lost the set but took another medical timeout, after which he opted to retire, handing Djokovic the win.
That was not the return Djokovic wanted, as he was visibly disappointed about his opponent dealing with an injury. It was a back injury for Davidovich Fokina, which he didn't want to aggravate further, considering that the US Open is right around the corner.
Still, a win is a win no matter how you achieve it, and Djokovic will take it. It was a decently competitive match up until that point and a good warm-up for what might come in the next round. He's set to face Gael Monfils, who is playing superb tennis right now and just beat Canadian Open finalist de Minaur.
Monfils and Djokovic played some amazing matches in the past though the French player never actually defeated him. It's one of the most impressive H2H scores in tennis at 18-0. We'll see whether La Monf can finally get one, as Djokovic is kind of rusty and missing playing time.
He has now half a singles match and one short doubles match under his belt. That's not ideal.
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