Novak Djokovic officially withdraws from 2022 Cincinnati Open

Novak Djokovic has officially withdrawn from next week's Cincinnati Open in Ohio as there is no chance he can make it into the United States in time for the tournament due to the existing vaccine mandate.

This means that Djokovic will miss his second consecutive ATP Masters 1000 tournament and two crucial events ahead of the US Open.

He is a two-time champion at the Cincinnati Open and won the tournament the last time he played there, which was in 2020. He missed this week's Canadian Open on account of the vaccine mandate in Canada as well.

The Serbian player missed the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open last year as well due to injury but reached the US Open final.

Meanwhile, his 2022 US Open hopes received a boost. As per The Times, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is set to review the rules regarding vaccinations in the US, including those concerning unvaccinated inbound overseas travelers.

On Thursday, the CDC announced a new set of guidelines, which state that “unvaccinated people now have the same guidance as vaccinated people." However, those guidelines do not apply to travel just yet, and as things stand, the vaccine mandate is still prevalent.

The 21-time Major champion will need the travel rules to change in his favor within the next two weeks, ahead of the August 29 start of the US Open. He has been training in Montenegro over the last few weeks with the hope of getting clearance to enter the US to play in the US Open. Djokovic has not played on tour since his Wimbledon title victory.

His maiden title in Cincinnati came back in 2018 as he got sixth time lucky after losing his first five finals at the Masters 1000 event in Ohio. He defeated his great rival Roger Federer in the 2018 final and became the first player to complete a career Golden Masters in singles, i.e. winning all nine Masters 1000 events on tour at least once. The Serbian player defeated Milos Raonic in the 2020 final to win his second Cincinnati title.

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Where will Novak Djokovic play next if he misses the 2022 US Open?

Day Fourteen: The Championships - Wimbledon 2022

If Novak Djokovic eventually misses the US Open, he will next be seen in a Davis Cup tie for Serbia right after the US Open concludes on September 11. He will then play in the 2022 Laver Cup in London, alongside his Big 4 colleagues Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray.

However, the 35-year-old's next ATP rankings event could be directly in early October at the Japan Open if he decides not to play one of the many ATP 250 events in Europe after the Laver Cup.

Since Wimbledon, Djokovic has spent a lot of time with family and friends in Montenegro, where he has been training quite a bit. Wimbledon was his second title of the season, with the Italian Open in May his first.

Djokovic is currently placed at No. 6 in the ATP rankings and could fall further if he ends up missing the US Open as he will drop a substantial number of points earned by reaching last year's final in New York City. However, the Serbian will be able to defend his 2021 Paris Masters title later this season.