Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Cincinnati Open for the second year in a row as his US Open preparations have taken a hit.
Following Djokovic’s Wimbledon semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has pulled out of both Toronto and Cincinnati.
Djokovic has explained his erratic tournament schedule as he continues his hunt for his 25th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic’s latest withdrawal could provide the perfect opportunity for Ben Shelton, who is gearing up for a quarter-final clash with Alex de Minaur in Toronto.
Ben Shelton could overtake Novak Djokovic in the ATP Tour rankings after Cincinnati Open
Shelton has been in fine form in 2025, reaching career best stages at all three Grand Slam events this year.
The World No. 7 reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals this year and followed it up with semi-final appearance at the Washington Open.
The star’s rise up the ATP Tour rankings has given him a genuine chance of overtaking Djokovic after his latest withdrawal.
Shelton is just 610 points away from Djokovic in the rankings, with 200 points confirmed from the Canadian Open already.
That means Shelton would need to reach the semi-final stages of the Cincinnati Open to overtake Djokovic in the rankings should he lose to de Minaur in Toronto.
Last year, Shelton reached the quarter-final stage of Cincinnati, before losing to Alexander Zverev in three sets.
What has Ben Shelton said about Alex de Minaur ahead of Canadian clash
Shelton and de Minaur’s quarter-final clash will be their first-ever meeting on the ATP Tour, but the two men are familiar with each other.
“We’ve had some practice, some competitive practice sets,” said Shelton during his Canadian Open press conference.
“He puts it on the line in practice as well; that’s one of the things that I love about him,” added the World No. 7.
The two men are set to play on August 6, with their last eight clash set to go on after Andrey Rublev vs Taylor Fritz.