Novak Djokovic guns for Career Golden Masters at Cincinnati; Nadal vs Federer quarterfinal looms

World number one Novak Djokovic has reached the finals of the Cincinnati Masters four times in the past but always came short of hoisting the trophy. This is the only ATP 1000 Masters event that he hasn’t won. At the Cincinnati Masters 2013 tournament which begins on August 12, Djokovic will have another chance to get the elusive Career Golden Masters at the Western & Southern Open.

Djokovic can become the first player in singles history to win all nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles if he wins this event in a week’s time.

He will have a tough road to the final as the world’s top 16 have signed up to be part of the event. One match where everyone will be watching out for is the potential quarterfinal between number four Rafael Nadal and number five Roger Federer. Federer is a five-time champion in Cincinnati and will be entering the event as the defending winner.

“It would mean a lot to me. Making history in this sport is a huge privilege, just having the opportunity to do that. I will go for it. Of course, it’s an extra motivation. I played four finals there. Always played well, but never managed to make that final step. Hopefully this is the year,” Djokovic said.

The Serbian will start his campaign at the Cincinnati Masters against either Jurgen Melzer or Juan Monaco. His potential third round opponent is Gilles Simon of France, Richard Gasquet (which he just defeated at Rogers Cup 2013 quarterfinals) in the quarterfinals again and David Ferrer in the semifinals.

The ATP has announced during the draw ceremony that tag “Career Golden Masters.” The creation of ATP World Tour Masters events was in 1990 and Djokovic is the one closest to achieve this feat.