In a surprise twist, Djokovic abruptly withdraws from the ATP Cincinnati Masters, leaving fans stunned and speculation swirling.

Novak Djokovic withdrew on Monday from this week’s start of the ATP Cincinnati Masters, with the pullout coming a year to the day from his Paris Olympic gold medal victory.

Tournament officials confirmed the news to The Athletic, meaning the 38-year-old Serb will have played no matches between his Wimbledon semi-final loss to Jannik Sinner and the US Open start in three weeks.

World number one Sinner, who like Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz skipped the current ATP Toronto Masters in order to rest and recover from Wimbledon, has been in Cincinnati since the weekend.

Sinner and his team posted a golf course selfie to social media on Monday, one day after an opening practice session at the pre-US Open event.

Djokovic, winner of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, first played Cincinnati in 2005 and won the last of his three titles there in 2023 after losing five previous finals.

“Despite great dedication and efforts, the necessary conditions to host the tournament on the planned date and in the planned format could not be guaranteed. Therefore, it was decided not to hold this year’s edition,” the statement read

The statement highlighted the nine tournaments organized in the Serbian capital since 2021, under different brands: five ATP 250 tournaments, one WTA 250, one WTA 125, one ATP Challenger 125, and one ITF tournament.

“The organization remains committed to the development of tennis in Serbia and will continue working to create the necessary conditions for professional tournaments to be held again in Belgrade in the future,” it added.