"Everybody's talking about my age, but what about him?" - Novak Djokovic on facing Gael Monfils and "duel of the veterans" at Cincinnati Open 2023 3R

Novak Djokovic has dubbed his upcoming match against Gael Monfils in the third round of the 2023 Cincinnati Open as the "duel of the veterans".

Djokovic faced Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round of the Western & Southern Open. The 23-time Grand Slam champion won the opening set 6-4 before the Spaniard was forced to retire in the first game of the second set.

During the late stages of the first set, Davidovich Fokina took a medical timeout to address a back problem. Unfortunately, he was unable to continue and retired early in the second set after seemingly injuring his left knee.

The match marked the Serb's first appearance in Cincinnati since 2019, while it was also his first tour-level match since the 2023 Wimbledon Championships final.

During the post-match on-court interview, Novak Djokovic expressed his delight in returning to the court and securing a victory. He admitted to having "mixed emotions" about the way the match concluded.

However, the 36-year-old stated that he is hopeful that he can capitalize on his current form and advance further in the tournament by elevating his performance.

"Of course it's great for me to be able to come back to the court and win a match. Obviously mixed emotions with the way it finished. Nevertheless, I'm hoping that I can build my form day to day and progress through the tournament with raising the level," he said.

Djokovic also discussed his upcoming match against fellow 36-year-old, Gael Monfils who won his second-round match against Australia's Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-4. He expressed his delight in seeing Monfils return to the court after battling injuries for several years.

The former World No. 1 jokingly mentioned that the Frenchman is actually a year older than him, yet the focus always seems to be on his age rather than Monfils'. Djokovic also stated that he was excited about the "duel of the veterans."

"It's great to see him back after several years of struggling with injuries. He's playing as good as ever. He's a year older than me. Everybody talks about my age, but what about him! He's doing amazing, so it's going to be a duel of the veterans tomorrow I guess," the Serb said.

Novak Djokovic has won the Cincinnati Masters title twice

Western & Southern Open 2018

After suffering five defeats in the finals of the Western & Southern Open, Novak Djokovic finally secured his first Cincinnati Masters title in 2018.

He defeated Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4 in the summit clash. With the win, the Serb became the first-ever player to achieve a Career Golden Masters - winning all of the nine ATP Masters 1000 events at least once.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion secured his second title at the Cincinnati Open in 2020 by defeating Milos Raonic 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final. The victory marked the completion of his Double Career Golden Masters.

The Cincinnati Masters will serve as Novak Djokovic's only preparatory event leading up to the 2023 US Open as he didn't feature in the Canadian Open.