Novak Djokovic pulls out of Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati to ‘recover’ before US Open

Two-time champion Novak Djokovic has announced his withdrawal from the Western & Southern Open to enhance his chances of securing a calendar Grand Slam.

After winning Wimbledon, the third major of the year, the 34-year-old lost in the bronze medal match to Pablo Carreno Busta at the Tokyo Olympics before pulling out of the mixed doubles citing a shoulder issue.

The 20-time major singles champion has now opted out of the tournament in Cincinnati to focus on preparing for the US Open.

• Roger Federer withdraws from Toronto & Cincinnati due to injury
• Andy Murray gains US Open direct entry after Wawrinka withdrawal

Djokovic said on Twitter: “Dear fans, I wanted to share with you that I am taking a bit longer to recover and recuperate after quite a taxing journey from Australia to Tokyo.

“Sadly, that means I won’t be ready to compete in Cincinnati this year so I’ll turn my focus and attention to US Open and spend some more time with family. See you in New York soon!”

I’ll miss you too @CincyTennis ? https://t.co/EtnvEdJG8b

Evans beaten in Toronto

Dan Evans made a first-round exit at the National Bank Open in Toronto after suffering a straight-sets defeat to Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik.

The British No 1 made a good start, breaking his opponent early in the first set, only to be immediately broken back.

And after losing that set, he then immediately found himself a break down in the second en route to a 6-4 6-4 loss in an hour and 40 minutes.

It was a second match for Evans, 31, since losing in the third round at Wimbledon last month and then withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for coronavirus – last week he lost 7-6 (1) 6-0 to Brandon Nakashima at the Citi Open in Washington.

Bublik will now take on top seed Daniil Medvedev in round two.

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