Former British No 1 Greg Rusedski thinks it is an “excellent sign” that Novak Djokovic will play in Cincinnati ahead of the 2026 US Open.

Djokovic confirmed last week that he will feature at the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati, which will run from 13 to 23 August.

“I am very happy to announce that I will be in Cincinnati this year, for the first time since 2023,” Djokovic said in a video shared by the Cincinnati Open.

“That year I played one of the top three Masters 1000 finals of my career.

“I really look forward to coming back, playing in front of you again, and seeing all the fans from around the world. See you soon!”

Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz in an epic three-set final to win the 2023 Cincinnati Masters. The Serbian then went on to win the 2023 US Open — his 24th and most recent Grand Slam title.

The 39-year-old has not played since losing to world No 1 Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals at Wimbledon last month.

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Speaking on the latest episode of his Off Court With Greg Rusedski podcast, Rusedski discussed the news of Djokovic’s upcoming appearance in Cincinnati.

“The good news is, he didn’t play any lead-ups to Paris because of the shoulder problem, so, the shoulder must be doing a lot better [now]. And that is a positive sign,” said the 1997 US Open finalist.

“No lead-up when he got to the finals of the Australian Open either, and Wimbledon. So, maybe he’s starting to get his mojo back and the body’s starting to bounce back and he’s feeling healthy.

“We’re going to learn a lot more about Novak in Cincinnati. And that is an excellent sign for all those Djokovic fans out there.”

Rusedski, a former world No 4, also shared his thoughts on Jack Draper ahead of the Brit’s anticipated comeback in Montreal .

“He’s trying to find solutions,” said Rusedski. “I just want to see him play a full match. I want to see him get through tournaments. As I said in our last show, he’s a guy we need back in our sport.

“He’s a guy we want to see healthy. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’m bored of it! I just want to see him play some tennis.”

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