World number one and Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.

“I’m taking a bit longer to recover after quite a physically taxing journey from Australian Open up to Tokyo,” Djokovic said in a statement on Twitter.

“Sadly, this means I won’t be ready to compete in Cincinnati this year so I’ll be turning my focus to the U.S. Open and spending more time with my family. Can’t wait to see you in New York soon,” he added.

The Western & Southern Open will be held in August from 14 and 22. The main draw will be released on the evening of Friday. Qualifying action takes place this weekend.

Men’s main draw action gets underway from August 15, with a full day of men’s and women’s main draw play scheduled for August 16.

Last month, Djokovic missed out on a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics as he lost against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta. (ANI)