Novak Djokovic appears on Cincinnati Masters doubles entry list, along with Filip Krajinovic

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic may not have verbally confirmed his participation in the American hardcourt season yet, but there are now very strong indications that he will travel to New York for the Masters and Grand Slam to be held there.

Djokovic is on the doubles entry list for the Western and Southern Open (Cincinnati Masters), which is scheduled to start from 21 August. The Serb is partnered with the only player to have beaten him, albeit in an exhibition, this year - Filip Krajinovic.

The tournament organizers have allotted an entry rank of No. 33 to the Novak Djokovic / Filip Krajinovic pair. The list also features the name of Austrian star Dominic Thiem in the alternatives section, where he appears along with Dennis Novak.

Provisional Cincinnati doubles seeds:8 on-site teams and 3 WCs will still join. pic.twitter.com/7R1nZQQgUB

— DT (@DartsTennis) August 11, 2020

There have been a lot of rumors swirling around lately that Novak Djokovic will follow the example of Rafael Nadal and withdraw from both Cincinnati and the US Open. However, the fact that he is entered in the doubles section, which is not normally his forte, suggests that he is eager to play as much as possible before the clay season begins.

Novak Djokovic's doubles exploits over the years

Novak Djokovic has won one doubles title on the ATP Tour

The provisional entry list for the Western and Southern Open's men's doubles event by the USTA comes just days after the announcement of the US Open 2020 men's singles entry list. There are some heavyweights in the Cincinnati doubles field, like Juan Sebastian Cabal / Robert Farah and Lukasz Kubot / Marcelo Melo.

Other strong pairings include Hubert Hurkacz / John Isner, Daniel Evans / David Goffin and Pablo Cuevas / Stefanos Tsitsipas.

🗣 ROLL CALLWorld No. 1 Novak Djokovic & last year's finalist Daniil Medvedev lead our 2020 US Open player field. pic.twitter.com/Xw8ys9Rlxi

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 4, 2020

According to sources, eight on-site teams and three wildcards will join the pairs mentioned above in the men's doubles competition. Novak Djokovic and Filip Krajinovic have got the last spot in the main entry list.

This development has generated excitement among tennis fans because Djokovic is not known to be a regular doubles player. He has a 55-72 record in doubles and holds the 140th spot in the rankings.

Filip Krajinovic meanwhile also has a less-than-stellar record in doubles, where he has lost 17 of his 23 matches.

Filip Krajinovic (fourth from left) is the only man to beat Novak Djokovic in 2020

If Novak Djokovic was planning to not travel to the United States, it would have been unlikely for him to enter the doubles competition at the Western and Southern Open. The three-time US Open winner would have looked to avoid being featured on any list unless mandatory.

That is why many fans believe that Djokovic's presence on the non-mandatory doubles list suggests he will be present for the American hardcourt season.

The Western and Southern Open will start end just three days before the start of the US Open, but it remains to be seen how the tournament will progress amid the COVID-19 pandemic.