Djokovic confirms U.S. Open participation

Two of the Big 3 will be missing from the abbreviated 2020 American hard-court swing, but the world No. 1 will be in attendance.

While Roger Federer (knee injury) and Rafael Nadal (staying away from the United States and practicing on clay) have withdrawn from the Western & Southern Open and U.S. Open, Novak Djokovic on Thursday confirmed his participation in both events.

“I’m happy to confirm that I‘ll participate at #CincyTennis and #USOpen this year,” the top-ranked Serb posted on Twitter. “It was not an easy decision to make with all the obstacles and challenges on many sides, but the prospect of competing again makes me really excited.”

With his two biggest rivals absent, Djokovic could be challenged by the likes of Australian Open runner-up Dominic Thiem, 2019 U.S. Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev, and 2019 World Tour Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas.

A bubble atmosphere for both tournaments at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center combined with Italy’s announcement that professional athletics do not have to quarantine upon arrival regardless of where they are coming from are convincing Djokovic and many other top players to play in the United States. The Rome Masters is immediately after the U.S. Open and several Europeans such as Thiem said they would be hesitant to play “Cincinnati” and the U.S. Open if they had to quarantine in Italy–thus likely missing the Rome event.

That’s not say there will be no more withdrawals. Also on Thursday, 2019 U.S. Open women’s champion Bianca Andreescu joined the list of absentees.

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