As the U.S. Open draws near, Novak Djokovic's return to the Cincinnati Open offers the 39-year-old a crucial opportunity to strike the right balance between protecting his body and regaining the match sharpness needed to pursue a record 25th Grand Slam singles title.

Since lifting the U.S. Open trophy in 2023, Djokovic has seen Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner emerge as the dominant forces in men's tennis. The pair have combined to win 10 of the last 11 Grand Slam singles titles, repeatedly denying the Serb another chance to extend his record-breaking legacy.

With opportunities to add to his major haul becoming increasingly limited as he tries to move clear of Margaret Court atop the all-time Grand Slam singles titles list, Djokovic returns to Cincinnati, where he won the title in 2023 before carrying that momentum into a triumphant U.S. Open campaign.

"I'm happy to announce that I'm coming to the Cincinnati Open this year, for the first time since 2023, when I played one of the best best-of-three finals in a Masters 1000 event in my career," Djokovic said Thursday in a social media post.

"I can't wait to come back and perform in front of you. I'm very excited to see the fans. Tennis fans from around the world are going to be present at the tournament. See you soon."

The tournament runs Aug. 13-23.

Cincinnati was the site of one of Djokovic's most memorable recent triumphs, with the Serb outlasting Spain's Alcaraz in a three-hour, 49-minute final in 2023 to win his third Cincinnati title before going on to capture the U.S. Open crown.

Nearly three years later, Djokovic finds himself in a different phase of his career. Though he remains capable of competing for the sport's biggest prizes, sustaining that level over two weeks has become an increasingly difficult task.

The challenge has become so acute that Djokovic has pared back his schedule, arriving at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year without playing a warm-up event, yet still reaching the final and semifinals, respectively.

"For 99% of the players, that would be a very good result," Djokovic said after his defeat by Sinner at Wimbledon.

"For me, it's good but not good enough, because I'm blessed and cursed to be used to something of the highest degree in terms of results and achievements.

"Of course, I still enjoy the thrill of competition. Maybe I don't enjoy the hard weeks leading up to a big tournament, putting myself over and over again through a lot of pain, mostly physical."

Cincinnati will offer Djokovic a final gauge of his form ahead of the U.S. Open, where he will again attempt to halt Alcaraz and Sinner and add to his Grand Slam haul.

The year's final Grand Slam begins Aug. 30.