World No. 2 Novak Djokovic won the first set 6-4 against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Cincinnati on August 17. This was Djokovic’s first match in Cincinnati since 2019 and his first tour-level appearance since the Wimbledon final.
This was the sixth match between the two, and with the retirement, Djokovic climbed to 4-1 in their ATP head-to-head matchup. The Serbian will face Gael Monfils on Thursday. He won the Western & Southern Open in 2018 and again in 2020 (when it was hosted in New York).
It’s never the preferred method of victory, and I imagine the spectators would agree. They anticipate a fight or a match when they enter. It feels amazing to get back on the court and win a match after a while off. The ending left a lot of people feeling conflicted. Djokovic, though, is optimistic that he can improve his condition with each passing day and win the championship.
Fokina called a medical timeout late in the first set to address a back issue, and then retired early in the second set, with 46 minutes still remaining on the clock, due to the ailment.
Djokovic fought off two break points in the first game before settling down and taking control of baseline rallies against his Toronto semifinalist opponent. After Fokina left the court at 3-4 for medical attention, the next three games were all lost on serve.
Now 48/1 in his first rounds this year, Djokovic faces Monfils in the round of 16 looking to improve on his perfect 18-0 record on the tour.
Due to vaccine requirements that required international tourists to be vaccinated against Covid-19, the 23-time Grand Slam winner has been banned to enter the US since losing in the 2021 US Open final.
