Jódar targets Zverev and Djokovic in Cincinnati

The schedule of the North American summer tour links two consecutive Masters 1000 ATP tournaments. Like Indian Wells and Miami in spring, with the difference that Canada, in Montreal or Toronto, and Cincinnati precede a Grand Slam, the US Open, in New York from August 30 to September 6.

Apart from the Spaniard’s current physical problems Rafa Nadal and from Italian Jannik Sinnerchampion and finalist, respectively, of Cincinnati 2025, this continuity of events causes weight drops, especially in the Canadian event, furthest from the real goal of the best, the US Open.

In Cincinnati, from August 13 to 23, the Serbian reappears Novak Djokovic unpublished since Wimbledon, and the German Alexander Zverev He will take it from a different perspective, since he went to Montreal just in passing, without the spirit of competing after having been champion at Roland Garros and finalist at Wimbledon.

The Balkan and the German coincide at the top of the Cincinnati table. They could meet in the semifinals in a sector where this season’s phenomenon is also found, the Spanish Rafa Jodar, that this Wednesday, Spanish dawn on Thursday, at 00:00 hours, he will play the ‘semi’ of Montreal against the American Brandon Nakashima.

The journey that the Madrid native has established at the age of 19 is demanding, thanks to his successes. One Monday he was playing in the final in Washington, losing to the American Taylor Fritztwo days later he was already competing in Montreal.

He feels “confident, recovering well after each game even though he has played a lot these days,” it means. Although he will have to study carefully whether he maintains his position in Cincinnati or starts working specifically on the US Open. In your first campaign you will not make a mistake in any case, you are accumulating experiences in a learning stage.

The draw dictated that Jódar, Twelfth seeded, debut in Cincinnati against the winner of the clash between the Canadian Denis Shapovalov and the Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. He would continue against the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo (22). In the second round he would meet the Italian Flavio Cobolli, Roland Garros finalist, seventh seed. For the quarterfinals, Alexander Zverev and in the semis, Novak Djokovic. The final, with the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, has recovered from his back injury and survives in a lower part with Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev and Ben Shelton.

Novak Djokovic’s path It has its beginnings in the Argentine Thiago Tirante or the British Jan Choinski. I would continue with Matteo Arnaldi (or even Jack Draper or Martín Landaluced), Jakub Mensik, Alex de Miñaur, Zverev and Auger-Alissime.

Zverev’s route It gets complicated at the beginning, with a duel with the British Cameron Norrie or the Croatian Dino Prizmic. Then, Tomás Etcheverry, Valentin Vacherot or Tommy Paul in the round of 16, quarterfinals against Jóda, ‘semis’ with Djokovic and Auger-Aliassime as the finishing touch.

The first round of the Spanishsecond in the case of Jódar, is Jódar vs. Shapovalov or Mannarino, Landaluce vs. Draper, Merida vs. Cilic, Machac vs. Carreño. Alcaraz, Davidovich and Munar are out.