Unnoticed switch behind de Minaur's surge as Djokovic makes worrying US Open call

Yahoo

2 days ago

Novak Djokovic is set to head into the US Open with very little hard court preparation having withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open as Alex de Minaur's form has profited from a change of racquet. The World No.6 has not played since his Wimbledon exit after Djokovic picked up an injury in the final game against Flavio Cobolli in the quarter-final.
Jannik Sinner was too good for the Serbian in the semi-final and won in straight sets, but the 38-year-old's movement was slightly hampered during the encounter. And Djokovic has been absent from the game since having recovered after a gruelling clay and grass court season.
However, Djokovic has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open, not citing an injury, as the 38-year-old recovers. Although this means the World No.6 most likely won't play a hard court tournament in the lead up to Flushing Meadows.
This is a huge decision from Djokovic who will have to rely on building up his match fitness during the grand slam if he is going to go all the way. While his withdrawal from the Cincinnati Open was not down to injury, it does leave doubt over his participation at the New York grand slam later this month.
His decision also leaves the door open for both de Minaur and Ben Shelton to overtake him in the rankings. And both stars are playing each other at the National Bank Open quarter-final.
The duo will then have the opportunity to leapfrog Djokovic if they go on to win the tournament. This will see both reach a better seeding for the US Open.
Djokovic's decision to withdraw also now places him under threat of losing his top eight ranking. While the 38-year-old has admitted grand slam titles are his main ambition going forward, dropping further in the ranking would be a huge blow to this quest.
If he drops out of the eight, it opens him up to playing either Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner before the quarter-final at the US Open. Djokovic will have a keen eye on the rankings as he rests ahead of the final grand slam of the year and could even tune into the de Minaur and Shelton clash.
Aussies will be hoping de Minaur continues his surge in Canada having found his feet again on the hard courts. And a little change ahead of the US Open has helped with this push.
Novak Djokovic withdrew from Cincinnati. No tennis for him between Wimbledon and the US Open.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) August 4, 2025
Alex de Minaur change behind recent run of form
De Minaur has been in sensational form since his defeat to Djokovic in the round of 16 at Wimbledon having won the Citi Open tournament last month. He has also reached the quarter-final at the Canadian Open.
And as he looks to topple Shelton and close in on Djokovic's ranking, the Aussie has seen a boost in his game after a change of racquet. De Minaur has been with Wilson for a while and switched over to their new Ultra V5 racquet ahead of the North American hard court season.
The Aussie has since gone eight games undefeated, one of those being a walkover, as he looks to topple Shelton. And the 26-year-old appears to have found his rhythm with the new racquet. De Minaur will be seeking a huge win over Shelton in the quarter-final, which would put him on a path for a career-high ranking.
His win over Frances Tiafoe drew him level with Pat Rafter for the second-most hard-court victories by an Australian man in the Open era, behind only Lleyton Hewitt, who has a staggering 372 wins. De Minaur climbed to World No.8 after entering last week's Citi Open ranked outside the top 10.
De Minaur admitted the conditions in Canada were tricky with both players giving it their all in the three-set win. "It was never going to be easy, and Frances has the ability to turn the switch on whenever he wants, so it is always very tricky to put him away," de Minaur said after the match. "I think I battled him, myself and the conditions, and I am happy to sneak away with the win today."