"I was completely soaked, to the point of almost struggling to hold my racket" - Greg Rusedski explains how certain players need to be protected in Cincinnati

Novak Djokovic's time in tennis is coming towards an end. This reality was highlighted and underlined even further following the discourse from his second round defeat at the Cincinnati Open against Thiago Agustin Tirante. Former British No.1 Greg Rusedski lamented the tournament organisers with the scheduling of the match proving to not be a popular one.

It was hot and humid in Cincinnati with Djokovic playing in the worst of it. He came onto court having not lost a match at the tournament since 2019 and was the champion in his prior two visits coming in 2020 and 2023.

With no Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz, on paper the Serbian was one of the huge favourites for glory. That did not go to plan after suffering a surprising defeat. That means four of his last eight Masters 1000 tournaments competed in have ended at the second round. Very unusual for someone as consistent as Djokovic with his last Masters 1000 triumph at the 2023 Paris Masters.

However, this could be a sign that his age is finally catching up with him. It has not been the most inspirational season by the 24-time Grand Slam champion, peaking with that Australian Open run. While he still has that sort of performance in the tank, it is not being shown enough on the big stage.

Tennis is becoming a more brutal sport with the heat and humidity proving to be a problem in many tournaments. This was always the case in the tournaments being competed in Asia and Oceania but the conditions in North America are also proving to be challenge.

The heat is one thing, but to combat that with very high humidity as well is a tricky task that some players struggle with. Take Sinner for example. The World No.1 has had a tendency of not coping well with excruciating heat compared to other players, and this has proven to be costly.

Djokovic was on the wrong end of a brutal scheduling decision with his tie against Tirante put in the middle of the Ohio day. Fatigue and exhaustion eventually led to medical treatment as he collapsed to an eerily concerning loss.

Rusedski was not satisfied with the scheduling of his match, calling out the organisers in his Off Court podcast while touching upon the difficulty of the conditions, falling back on prior experiences. "I'm just happy to have Novak with us whenever possible. He's 39 and what he has accomplished is incredible," he said.

"But physically, it's really tough, especially with the heat and humidity of Cincinnati. It can be brutal. I remember when I played there: I was completely soaked, to the point of almost struggling to hold my racket. The heat is unbearable; you constantly need an ice towel on you."

He called for protection over the three-time champion with him featuring in the tournament also very important for the ATP event with other big names missing. "Novak must be protected. He can't play during the day. He has to play in the evening, from 7 p.m. He has earned that right. And especially against a young player like Argentine Tirante, who can hit the ball with incredible power. So for Novak, it was a really tough scheduling."

Djokovic has not played in either of the Masters 1000 double headers in the past two years in the build up to the US Open. The last time he played in both was in 2018, which was also the last time he played in the Canadian Open.

These prior few years have proven that Djokovic does not need to play in ATP tournaments to prepare himself for the Grand Slam events as he usually preserves his body with the packed schedule proving difficult.

However, that does not mean he would want to. He was fit enough to compete in Cincinnati and was even extremely delighted surrounding bis body's reaction following that Wimbledon semi-final run. With the US Open soon coming up, this is his latest chance at winning an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title. With there health concerns surrounding Sinner and Alcaraz, he could proceed in a very good position to seal this landmark title. However, Rusedski has highlighted the importance that the tournament has in treating him well.

"I think at the US Open, he will be protected," he said. "I hope he continues to play for a long time. Even the young players would struggle with such heat. Just look at Jack Draper during his match: he wasn't comfortable either, even though he's much younger than Novak."

He expanded this by concluding how important it was if he is to continue his career into the long term. "But we need to give him a little affection and have him play at the right time of day if we want him to stay in the tournament. Match scheduling matters. I know you can't always protect the big names, because there's rain and other factors, but I think sometimes you have to make those kinds of choices."