Novak Djokovic told he’s made huge mistake that could derail US Open campaign

Novak Djokovic is set to make his first appearance since losing in the Wimbledon final last month. The world No 2 is back in action at the Cincinnati Open, where he has already arrived to start his preparations. But former Serbian pro Radmilo Armenulic said Djokovic made a mistake by going a month without competing.

Djokovic will return to competition in Cincinnati next week as the second seed after enjoying a break following Wimbledon. It also marks the first time he will play in America since the 2021 US Open as unvaccinated foreign travellers were previously banned from entering the country.

The 36-year-old opted to skip this week’s Masters 1000 event in Canada and has gone straight to Cincinnati for his pre-US Open preparations, where he is also playing in the doubles. But retired tennis player and coach Armenulic believes that Djokovic should have played another tournament.

“Personally, I think that the period without tennis was long for him,” he told Informer.rs. “He should have played a smaller tournament, he didn’t pick up a racket since Wimbledon.”

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While he thought it was a positive sign to see Djokovic in both the singles and doubles draws, Armenulic still thought that it left his countryman with minimal preparation with the US Open looming. He added: “It’s good that he’s playing doubles in Cincinnati, but it’s still a short preparation. We’ll see how he plays the singles.”

Once a mentor to Djokovic’s own coach Goran Ivanisevic, Armenulic was also happy to see the world No 2 allowed to enter America once again. Since reaching the final of the 2021 US Open, he has missed tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Cincinnati and the US Open itself as a result of vaccine requirements.

With all restrictions now dropped, the 23-time Grand Slam champion will be back to fight for an Open Era record 24th crowd in Flushing Meadows. “They finally let him play, they should have done that last year as well,” Armenulic said.

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Looking ahead to the US Open he continued: “He will have a tough tournament. Especially since he is always expected to either enter the finals or win the tournament. He is constantly under pressure. Now his biggest rivals will be Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev, candidates to win tournaments.”

For now, Djokovic will be firmly focused on Cincinnati where he is the second seed in the singles draw. The Serb has a bye to the second round where he faces either John Isner or a qualifier. Partnering compatriot Nikola Cacic in the doubles, the pair open against Jamie Murray and Michael Venus.

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