7 players to miss Cincinnati Open 2025 ft. Novak Djokovic, Bianca Andreescu

The Canadian Open 2025 is far from over, and yet the Cincinnati Open 2025 is already grabbing eyeballs. The draw for the latter tournament was revealed on Tuesday, August 5, with the main draw starting from August 7. Defending champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka headline the field.

However, not all top players will be in attendance at the Cincinnati Open. The withdrawals of Jack Draper, Zheng Qinwen, Paula Badosa and Grigor Dimitrov were already known due to their ongoing injury woes.

More players have joined them on the sidelines in recent days due to various reasons. With that in mind, here’s a look at seven prominent players who will miss the Cincinnati Open 2025:

#1. Novak Djokovic

Djokovic, a three-time Cincinnati Open champion, will skip the tournament for the second year in a row now. He saved a championship point against Carlos Alcaraz in the 2023 final, his most recent appearance at the venue. He withdrew due to a non-medical reason.

Trending

Djokovic will thus head to the US Open without a match on hardcourts. He hasn't competed anywhere since losing to Sinner in the semifinals of Wimbledon. He also lost to the Italian in the semifinals of the French Open prior to that. The 38-year-old will be bidding to capture his 25th Major title in New York, a quest that has ended with a semifinal exit at the preceding three Majors this season.

#2. Mirra Andreeva

Andreeva was stunned by McCartney Kessler in the third round of the Canadian Open, going down to her 7-6 (5), 6-4. The teenager injured her ankle during the match. While she was able to finish the contest after a medical timeout, it was serious enough for her to pull out of the Cincinnati Open in order to avoid aggravating it further.

This latest setback could jeopardize Andreeva's chances at the US Open as well. She made the last eight of the last two Majors, and won a couple of WTA 1000 titles earlier this year. She made the quarterfinals in Cincinnati on her debut last year. Based on her form this year, she could've made another deep run.

#3. Nick Kyrgios

After sitting out the grass season, Kyrgios was targeting a return during the hardcourt swing. He used his protected ranking to book his spot in the main draw of the Cincinnati Open as well. However, he has now withdrawn from the tournament, where he was the runner-up in 2017.

Kyrgios embarked on his comeback earlier this year, winning one match from the four tournaments he participated in. His only win came at the Miami Open, staging a comeback to beat Mackenzie McDonald in the first round. He then lost to Karen Khachanov and hasn't competed anywhere since then.

#4. Bianca Andreescu

Andreescu's poor luck with injuries has forced her out of the Cincinnati Open. She rolled her ankle over the course of her first-round win over Barbora Krejcikova at the Canadian Open. However, the injury was quite severe and she pulled out of her home tournament.

Andreescu will now race against time to be fit for the US Open. She won the only Major title of her career in New York six years ago, beating Serena Williams in an entertaining summit clash. Recurring injuries have prevented her from reaching similar heights since then.

#5. Alexandra Eala

Eala is another player who will miss the Cincinnati Open after picking up an injury at the Canadian Open. She will be on the sidelines due to a shoulder injury. She already appeared to be hindered while competing at the Canadian Open, playing her first-round match with a strapping on her shoulder.

While Eala was able to claim the first set against Marketa Vondrousova, she dropped the next two to lose the match. She also withdrew from the Monterrey Open and will hopefully return to action at the US Open.

#6. Alexander Bublik

Bublik has been one of the most in-form players in recent weeks. He has won three of his last four tournaments, with a first-round exit from Wimbledon being the only blemish during this period.

However, Bublik has been curiously missing the North American hardcourt swing. He didn't partake in the Canadian Open, and has now pulled out of the Cincinnati Open as well. While he will return in time for the US Open, his abrupt schedule change has left fans puzzled.

#7. Francisco Cerundolo

Cerundolo set up a fourth-round showdown against top seed Alexander Zverev at the Canadian Open. He had beaten the German in their past three meetings but an injury stopped him from repeating the feat yet again. He started the match with a protective tape on his abs, and even took a medical timeout.

While Cerundolo tried his best to finish the match, he eventually retired after the first game of the second set. There wasn't enough time for him to recover from his abdominal injury, thus forcing him out of the Cincinnati Open as well. He will now aim to recover before the US Open gets underway.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

About the author

Rohit

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for three years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

Know More