Novak Djokovic gets telling reception by US crowd in loss to Jamie Murray

Novak Djokovic received a warm welcome from the American fans as he returned for the first time in two years. The world No 2 last played a match in the States at the 2021 US Open, losing in the final. And it was like he had never been away as the Cincinnati Open crowd cheered him on as he paired up with Nikola Cacic in the doubles, losing 6-4 6-2 to Jamie Murray and Michael Venus.

Djokovic has been unable to compete in America for the last two years due to Covid vaccine travel requirements. Without the jab, he was banned from entering the country to play tournaments in the likes of Indian Wells, Miami and Cincinnati.

He made his long-awaited return at the latter event on Monday, joining forces with Cacic in the doubles draw. It was a brief outing on the tournament’s Stadium 3 court for the Serbian duo as they lasted just 65 minutes against Murray and Venus. But that didn’t stop the fans from enjoying their first glimpse of Djokovic since 2021.

The tournament’s third-biggest show court was packed full of spectators who were excited to see the 23-time Grand Slam champion, cheering on his winners and unreturned serves.

Djokovic and Cacic had chances to break three times in the opening set but couldn’t capitalise on them. With the singles world No 2 serving to stay in it at 4-5, the seasoned doubles professionals needed just one break point to take the opening set. And they breezed through the second, dropping just four points on serve.

While he is already out of the doubles, the 36-year-old will begin his singles campaign on Wednesday after receiving a bye into the second round. And he can expect another great reception when he steps onto the singles court after proving to be a fan favourite in his match against Murray and Venus.

Ahead of his return to Cincinnati and the US, Djokovic said: “I really wanted to return to Cincinnati to prepare well for the tournament.” And he made the right decision, even drawing huge crowds for his practice sessions before the tournament started.