"Novak Djokovic is going to be more dangerous" - Sam Querrey warns of a 'more relaxed' Serb at US Open despite Cincinnati withdrawal

Sam Querrey recently talked about Novak Djokovic being "more dangerous" at the 2024 US Open following his withdrawal from the Cincinnati Open. Last year, the Serb claimed victory at both events - securing the New York Slam by defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final and winning the ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati by defeating Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic most recently competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This was his fifth appearance at the Games and he was the top seed at the tournament. He defeated the likes of Matthew Ebden, Rafael Nadal, and Dominik Koepfer in the first three rounds.

The World No.1 then defeated eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, 11th seed and eventual bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively, and then triumphed over Carlos Alcaraz to win the gold medal.

Following his Olympic triumph, Novak Djokovic opted to withdraw from the 2024 Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open, both of which are crucial hard-court tournaments leading up to the US Open.

In light of Djokovic's withdrawal from the Cincinnati Open, Sam Querrey shared his thoughts on 'Tennis Channel.' He expressed that he was not surprised by the Serb's withdrawal as any athlete would require a recovery time after a demanding tournament like the Olympic Games.

“Yeah not surprising at all. I mean the emotion that spewed out of him after he won that gold medal, I think that anyone would need five to six weeks to recover from that type of emotion, so no surprise here,” Querrey said.

Querrey stated that he expects the 24-time Grand Slam champion to be "ready" for the US Open and also expects him to be "more relaxed" coming into the last Slam of the season.

“I expect him to be ready to go at the US Open and honestly I feel like he’s going to be in the US Open playing which is house money. He has accomplished everything there is to accomplish . I think he’s going to be relaxed, kind of as loose as ever. He’s going to be even more dangerous in New York,” he added .

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Novak Djokovic's fourth & most recent US Open title came in 2023

US Open Tennis Championship 2023 [Source: Getty]

Novak Djokovic has won four US Open titles and is the defending champion coming into the tournament. Last year, Djokovic was seeded second and began his campaign by defeating Alexandre Muller 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 and Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 in the first and second rounds respectively.

The former World No.1 faced a tough challenge in the third round against his compatriot and 32nd seed Laslo Djere, ultimately triumphing with a score of 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. He then continued his winning streak by defeating qualifier Borna Gojo in the fourth round 6-2, 7-5, 6-4.

In the quarterfinals, the 37-year-old defeated ninth seed Taylor Fritz 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 and overcame Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(4) in the semifinals to advance to the final.

At the summit clash, Novak Djokovic defeated third seed Daniil Medvedev 6–3, 7–6(5), 6–3 to win the 2023 US Open. This was his fourth New York Slam title and record-extending 24th men's singles Grand Slam title overall.