Novak Djokovic has revealed a long-standing health issue contributed to his on-court collapse during a recent match at the Cincinnati Masters, leading him to suggest he may not return to the tournament.
The 39-year-old, a 24-time major champion, visibly struggled with the heat and humidity during his Sunday match against Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante. Djokovic dropped to his hands and knees at several points and appeared to vomit, requiring medical timeouts as the two-hour, 45-minute contest unfolded.
Despite winning the first set 6-2, Djokovic ultimately lost the next two sets 6-4, 6-4 to Tirante. Speaking after the match, Djokovic attributed his performance to a recurring health problem.
“First and foremost, I congratulate my opponent today. Honestly, it hasn’t been a pleasant match for me. That’s how I’ve felt. It hasn’t been the first time, and it won’t be the last. That’s just how it is. The conditions aren’t the problem. It’s because of a health issue I have. I’ve been dealing with it for many years now. It causes me a lot of problems, especially when there’s a lot of humidity and heat,” Djokovic explained, as reported by LADbible. He added that nerves also exacerbated the situation.
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Future at Cincinnati in doubt
The severe physical toll of the match led Djokovic to cast doubt on his future participation in the Cincinnati Masters, a tournament he has frequently competed in.
“It looks like I won’t be back, unfortunately, to play here. It was a combination of the heat and humidity, all those things. Everything involved makes it worse,” he stated.
Tirante’s career-best victory
For Thiago Agustin Tirante, the victory over one of tennis’s all-time greats marked a significant milestone. “It could be ‘the best win of my career’,” Tirante commented after the match. He credited his ability to manage nerves against a legend like Djokovic.
Tirante will now advance to face Martin Landaluce in the next round. Meanwhile, Djokovic has a two-week window to recover and regroup before the US Open, which is scheduled to begin on August 30.
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