Novak Djokovic has made a big change to his preparation ahead of the US Open this year, ‘I like that’

However, in the three years he has been absent, so much has changed on the ATP Tour.

No longer is he the dominant force driving success at majors; instead, that mantle has been stolen by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, with Novak Djokovic relegated to the role of chaser.

In an effort to once again find the edge needed to truly unsettle the world’s best players, the Serbian has now explained how his schedule has altered ahead of the US Open.

Novak Djokovic claims he’s changed his preparation for the US Open this year

Speaking at his press conference ahead of his opening-round match later today, Djokovic was asked about the time he took off after Wimbledon.

Spending this period with family and friends, and at various events, it felt like for the first time in a while we got to see the 24-time Grand Slam champion enjoy himself in a setting outside of the tennis court.

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He admitted: “Well, obviously, that has changed.

“I mean, it does depend on, you know, family, temple of the life and things that might surface and come out and need addressing, and my time, my attention.

“So I’ve done quite a bit of travelling internally in Europe, you know, to be able to be with family members and do different things. The family did for me all these years. So it’s not really straightforward, as it was for most of my career, most of my life, where, you know, everything revolves around me. It’s not really like that anymore.

“And I like that, because I need to get out of that kind of role, as well, and be able to… I talk a little bit about that in the documentary, so you’ll see a little bit about that as well. I’m trying to balance the roles of a professional tennis player and a father and a husband. Son and brother, trying to be the best I can be in all these different roles.

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“And, you know, it takes time, it takes energy, and so, it’s a work in progress, something that I kind of underestimated of how, you know, big the support and sacrifice was from all the family members around it. In order for them to allow me to create space for 20-plus years to do my thing. And once I’m done with tournaments, I’m resting, you know, and it’s all about how I rest, how rested I am once I start preparation.

“So, that’s normal. It’s a normal kind of curve in the cycle of a journey of an individual, professional athlete, and it’s what most of the athletes are doing, the younger ones today, and it’s what I’ve done, but, you know, things change, and I don’t want to have that kind of one-dimensional role anymore.”

Djokovic gave a really positive fitness update recently as well, with things certainly looking up for him as the US Open nears.

Novak Djokovic’s historical record at the Cincinnati Open

For all his many, many triumphs across his glittering career, the Cincinnati Open has actually been one of Djokovic’s least successful Masters 1000 events.

However, that is mainly in part to Roger Federer’s dominance, with the Serbian losing his first five finals here in Ohio, three times to the Swiss superstar and another two times to Andy Murray.

That being said, he did eventually snag the title in 2018, cathartically beating Federer in the final.

He would then win it again in 2020 and most memorably in 2023, his most recent appearance at the event.

There, he beat Carlos Alcaraz in a match that both he and everyone who watched it have described as one of the greatest best-of-three-set matches of all time.

Djokovic has a 79% win rate at the Cincinnati Open. Only in Monte Carlo and Madrid is it worse.