Merely a stepping stone for the US Open?

How much will Djokovic push himself in Cincinnati?

We don't really see Djokovic much outside of Grand Slams these days, do we? It wasn't much before, but it is even less now! All we have seen this year is a few matches in Indian Wells and then the first-round loss to Prizmic in Rome. While he was younger, he could still cruise through multiple rounds in these tournaments without perhaps being at his best; that is no longer the case. We know that Djokovic tends to do really well on these fast, low-bouncing courts (who can forget that 2023 final vs Alcaraz)... but after watching the first-round matches, the humidity has to be a worrying factor. While Novak is still a physical beast considering his age, we have already seen multiple matches where players are crumbling physically, even though the match itself has not gone on for that long!

As for the matchup, it looks like a pretty good one, at least in theory. He gets to face Tirante, who has a straightforward game with a big serve and a big forehand, something that Djokovic has been neutralizing for many years. However, we have clearly seen him struggle more and more against this kind of player as he has gotten older. I do think the best opponents for Djokovic at the moment are Solid Baseliners / Counter Punchers that lack power, which lets him dictate the match. However, Tirante barely squeezed through a big battle in his first round against Choinski, and his backhand is a real weakness - something that Djokovic can surely target, even if Thiago is pretty great at stepping around it to hit forehands...