ATP Tour

Zverev, Djokovic, Jodar & 10 things to watch in Cincinnati

Some of the ATP Tour’s biggest stars are competing at the Cincinnati Open in Ohio over the next 10 days, when they will chase success at the second ATP Masters 1000 event of the North American swing.

Former champions Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic headline the field at the hard-court event, and the pair could be on course for a semi-final showdown if they both advance to that stage. Felix Auger-Aliassime is the second seed, while fellow Top 10 stars Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton spearhead the American challenge.

ATPTour.com breaks down 10 things to watch in Cincinnati.

1) Top seed Zverev eyes bounceback: After capturing his first major title at Roland Garros, Zverev backed up that result with a run to his first Wimbledon final, where he fell to Jannik Sinner in four sets. But the German was unable to build on that momentum in Montreal, where he suffered an opening-round defeat to Tallon Griekspoor.

The 2021 Cincinnati champion and World No. 3 will now look to respond strongly on his return to Ohio, where he reached the semi-finals last year. Zverev will open his campaign against Cameron Norrie or Dino Prizmic.

2) Djokovic returns to action: Competing for the first time since reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals, three-time Cincinnati champion Djokovic will begin his quest in Ohio against Thiago Agustin Tirante or Jan Choinski. The 39-year-old Serbian owns a 45-12 record at the event, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, including an epic 2023 final victory over Carlos Alcaraz, in which he saved a match point in one of the greatest Masters 1000 matches of all time.

Watch Cincinnati 2023 Final Highlights: 

3) Can Shelton maintain his form? Shelton fell to Zverev in the Cincinnati quarter-finals in both 2024 and 2025, but with the two men placed in opposite halves of the draw this year, they could only meet in the final. The 23-year-old American has already claimed three titles this season — in Dallas, Munich and Stuttgart — and will have the chance to add another on Thursday, when he faces Brandon Nakashima in the Montreal final.

4) Top 10 stars in action: A host of Top 10 players, including Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur and Flavio Cobolli, feature in the Cincinnati draw. Second seed Auger-Aliassime could face 2022 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in a popcorn second-round clash if the Greek defeats Valentin Royer. Medvedev, the 2019 champion, and Cobolli will both be looking to bounce back from opening-round defeats in Montreal.

5) Fritz, Tien among American hopes: Alongside eighth seed Shelton, Fritz and Learner Tien will spearhead American hopes in Ohio. After reaching his first Masters 1000 semi-final in Montreal, 20-year-old Tien will look to carry that form onto home soil in Cincinnati, where countryman Fritz is a two-time quarter-finalist.

Shelton, Tien and Nakashima all reached the last four in Montreal, marking the first time three Americans had advanced to the semi-finals at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event since 1992.

6) PIF ATP Live Race To Turin continues to heat up: Rafael Jodar has surged into seventh place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin (2,399 points) with his run to the Montreal semi-finals, and he is among a host of players looking to strengthen their Nitto ATP Finals hopes in Cincinnati. Ninth-placed Auger-Aliassime (2,240 points), 10th-placed De Minaur (2,210) and 11th-placed Fritz (2,180) are all firmly in contention.

Jakub Mensik (2,155) and Arthur Fils (2,140) are just behind in 12th and 13th, respectively, but with plenty of points up for grabs over the next 10 days in Cincinnati, the Race could look very different by the end of the event.

View PIF ATP Live Race To Turin

7) #NextGenATP stars take centre stage: Alongside Jodar, Joao Fonseca and Martin Landaluce lead the charge of 20-and-under players looking to make deep runs in Ohio. The 19-year-old Fonseca opens his campaign against Botic van de Zandschulp or Tallon Griekspoor and could face Casper Ruud for a third time in 2026 if they both reach the third round.

The 20-year-old Landaluce, who reached Masters 1000 quarter-finals in Miami and Rome this year, faces an intriguing opening test against British lefty Jack Draper and could meet Djokovic in the third round.

8) Dimitrov, Monfils lead wild cards: Former champions Marin Cilic, Grigor Dimitrov and 41-year-old Gael Monfils, who is retiring at the end of the season, have each received a wild card into the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Dimitrov, who triumphed in Cincinnati in 2017, will face Sebastian Baez in the first round, while Monfils begins against fellow wild card Rinky Hijikata. Cilic, the 2016 champion, opens against rising Spaniard Daniel Merida. Draper, who has struggled with injury over the past year, is also competing as a wild card.

9) Second edition with revamped venue: Last year, the Cincinnati Open underwent a major transformation, which included a $260 million campus renovation at the Linder Family Tennis Center. It was named ATP Masters 1000 event of the year at the 2025 ATP Awards. Read more here...

10) Heliovaara/Patten headline stacked doubles field: The joint No. 1 players in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings, Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, lead the doubles draw, which also features a host of top singles stars. Medvedev will team with Tien, Zverev partners Marcelo Melo, and Andrey Rublev joins forces with Karen Khachanov.