The Western & Southern Open announced Monday that defending champion Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the tournament.
Djokovic, the No. 1 player in the world and a two-time Cincinnati champion, has won the first three Grand Slam events this season.
In a social media message, Djokovic said, “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!”
Roger Federer also withdrew last week, citing a knee injury.
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