When does Novak Djokovic play next? Is Djokovic playing the US Open? When will he play Carlos Alcaraz?
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Updated 24/07/2023 at 07:11 GMT
What is Novak Djokovic's schedule? When will Djokovic play next? Will he play the US Open? When will he play Carlos Alcaraz after his Wimbledon final defeat? World No. 2 Djokovic was beaten in five thrilling sets as Alcaraz claimed the second Grand Slam title of his career. But it won't be long until Djokovic has another chance at winning his 24th major at next month's US Open.
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Novak Djokovic might still be reeling from his Wimbledon final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, but it won’t be too long until he is back on a tennis court.
Djokovic saw his 10-year Centre Court dominance ended in memorable fashion as Alcaraz won in five sets to lift his second Grand Slam title.
“I move on,” said Djokovic after he missed out on a chance to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 majors.
But when will Djokovic play next? And when could he return to world No. 1?
What is Djokovic’s schedule?
Djokovic will take some time to rest following Wimbledon before he starts his preparations for the US Open.
Djokovic was not able to play any events in North America last year as he couldn’t travel to the USA or Canada without being vaccinated against Covid-19. He also missed Indian Wells and the Miami Open earlier this year.
However, entry rules have now changed and there is no requirement to be vaccinated to travel to the USA or Canada.
Djokovic’s return to the US is likely to come at the Cincinnati Open.
He is not set to play again in July and has pulled out of the Canadian Open in Toronto, which is an ATP Masters 1000 event starting on August 7, due to fatigue.
“I have always enjoyed my time in Canada but after speaking with my team, we believe this is the right decision to take,” Djokovic said in a statement.
“I would like to thank Karl Hale, the tournament director, for understanding this decision. I really hope I can return to Canada and Toronto in the coming years to play in front of great fans there.”
Djokovic has not played the Canadian Open since 2018, when he was beaten in the third round by Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Cincinnati Open starts on August 13 and looks set to be Djokovic’s only hard-court preparation for the US Open, which gets started on August 28.
Djokovic is a three-time champion at the US Open and made the final last time he played in 2021.
“I am looking forward to coming back to New York,” he is quoted as saying by Tennis Majors after Wimbledon.
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Novak Djokovic (L) lost to Daniil Medvedev in the 2021 US Open final
Image credit: Getty Images
“Throughout my career, I’ve played my best on hard courts, although grass has become my favourite surface too in the last five, six years. But overall, considering tournaments where I’ve been most successful – it’s hard courts.
“I’ve played a lot of finals in New York. I lost the last one to [Daniil] Medvedev, but I received a lot of love from the crowd, which wasn’t the case in the past. I left New York with that image in my head, so I am really looking forward to going back.”
When can Djokovic get back to world No. 1?
With victory at Wimbledon, Alcaraz opened up an 880-point lead over Djokovic at the top of the ATP rankings.
But Djokovic could have the chance to return to world No. 1 over the summer.
Alcaraz is set to drop 450 points from his ranking over the next few weeks as he won’t be returning to Hamburg or Umag, both of which he made the final at last year.
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He will have the chance to gain points in Toronto – where he lost in the second round last year - and Cincinnati – where he lost in the quarter-finals – but will be defending champion at the US Open so has 2,000 points against his name.
Djokovic has no points to defend until October. He has spent a record 389 weeks as world No. 1.
When will Djokovic play Alcaraz again?
After their Wimbledon thriller, there will be plenty of anticipation around the fourth instalment of Djokovic v Alcaraz this summer.
With Djokovic missing the Canadian Open it looks like Cincinnati will be the first opportunity for a rematch.
Then it will be the US Open, where Alcaraz won his first Grand Slam title at the age of 19 a year ago.
“I hope we get to play in US Open,” said Djokovic after Wimbledon.
“Why not? I think it's good for the sport, No. 1 and No. 2 in the world facing each other in almost a five-hours, five-set thriller. Couldn't be better for our sport in general, so why not?”
Alcaraz leads the head to head against Djokovic 2-1.
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