Djokovic lost to Tirante in the second round of the Cincinnati tournament
Novak Djokovic lost to Argentine Thiago Tirante in the second round of the Cincinnati Open with a score of 6-2, 4-6, 4-6. The match lasted more than two and a half hours and was the Serbian tennis player’s first since his loss to Yannick Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinals more than a month ago, according to Al Jazeera English.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, confidently won the opening set, but the heat and high humidity took their toll on him. In the third game of the second set, he spent 18 minutes fending off break points, saving four after nine deuces. During the match, the Serbian took a medical timeout: a physical therapist and a doctor came onto the court to examine him and help him cool down with cold towels.
After the second set ended, both players cooled off in the locker room. In the decisive set, Djokovic once again dictated the pace of the match, but in the ninth game, Tirante converted his fourth break point. The Argentine closed out the match in the next game when Djokovic failed to execute a drop shot on match point.
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After the match, Djokovic attributed his struggles to a combination of heat and humidity. He also suggested that this might have been his last appearance in Cincinnati. For Tirante, the victory was the biggest of his career; the tennis player noted that he was able to keep his nerves in check during the match against Djokovic. The Serb has won the Cincinnati Open three times, most recently in 2023. He now needs to recover before the US Open begins on August 30.
Top seed Alexander Zverev also kicked off his run in Cincinnati with a hard-fought victory. The German defeated Britain’s Cameron Norrie 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. The match lasted two hours and 45 minutes and ended at 2:15 a.m.
