"Shame on our country for keeping you out last year" - US presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy hails Novak Djokovic on Cincinnati win

US presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy recently chastised his country for excluding Novak Djokovic from the 2022 US Open. He also lauded the Serb's performance in the Cincinnati final.

Djokovic defeated 2023 Wimbledon Champion Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday to win the Western and Southern Open title. He saved a championship point and claimed a 5-7, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4) victory in what was a thrilling contest.

In doing so, Djokovic won his 39th ATP Masters 1000 title, extending his own record. The match lasted three hours and 49 minutes, making it the ATP Tour's longest best-of-three final.

With this victory, the 36-year-old has become the tournament's oldest champion, breaking 35-year-old Ken Rosewall's record. This was also the 23-time Grand Slam champion's 1,069th ATP Tour victory. He has surpassed both Ivan Lendl and Rafael Nadal (1,068 each); Djokovic is now only behind Jimmy Connors (1,274) and Roger Federer (1,251) in this category.

Vivek Ramaswamy, a presidential candidate from the Republican party, took to Twitter to hail Novak Djokovic on his title run. The Indian-born American also criticized the US for barring Djokovic from competing in the New York Major in 2022 due to his unvaccinated status.

"Awesome to watch @DjokerNole win a battle in my hometown of Cincinnati last night. Shame on our country for keeping you out last year. But you can only stop a champ for so long," Ramaswamy wrote.

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"It gets better and better" - Novak Djokovic on his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic pictured with their Cincinnati trophies.

In his victory speech, Novak Djokovic talked about his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz, stating that it was only getting better with time. He lavished praise on the young Spaniard as well.

"This rivalry just gets better. It gets better and better. Amazing player. Tonnes of respect for him. For such a young player to show so much poise in important moments is impressive," he said.

The Serb added that the Cincinnati Open final against the World No.1 player was one of the toughest he had ever played and that they both fought the same way from start to finish.

"Crazy. Honestly, I don't know what else I can say. Tough to describe. Definitely one of the toughest matches I've ever played in my life, regardless of what tournament, what category, what level, what player. It's unbelievable," Novak Djokovic said.

"From the beginning 'til the end, we've both been through so much, so many ups and downs, highs and lows, incredible points, poor games, heat strokes, coming back," he added.

The Belgrade native is on the verge of retaking the World No. 1 spot from Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 US Open. He only needs to win one match at Flushing Meadows to secure his position as the new No. 1 in the ATP Rankings, regardless of how the Spaniard performs.

Djokovic will also be aiming for his 24th Grand Slam singles title at this year's final Major. If the Serb succeeds, he will not only become the first man to win that many Grand Slam titles, but he will also equal Margaret Court's all-time record (24).