Novak Djokovic recently arrived in Shanghai to participate in the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season, with the aim of emulating his run from last year. The Serbian legend played excellent tennis in this tournament in 2024, reaching the final and losing only to former world No.1 Jannik Sinner under the gaze of Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz (both present in the stands on the day of the final).
The former world No.1 who has not played an official match since the US Open semi-final against Carlitos reiterated his intention to continue competing at the highest level, although he stressed how hard it is for him to face such young rivals without having the support he was used to from his body.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion can be satisfied with his season, considering that he reached the semifinals in all the Major tournaments and lifted the 100th trophy of his extraordinary career on the red clay of Geneva before Roland Garros.
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Nole will face Marin Cilic
Nole's run in Shanghai where he has won four times will start directly in the second round against Croatian veteran Marin Cilic, a player he knows really well and has faced many times before. The 37-year-old Croatian defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round and will try to put Nole in trouble on a surface that is very suitable for his game.
Djokovic and Cilic have faced each other 21 times on the professional tour, with the Serbian veteran ahead 19-2 in the h2h record. Their last clash was three years ago at the Tel Aviv ATP 250, in which the Belgrade legend prevailed in straight sets. The Croatian ace has only beaten Novak at the 2016 Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 and the 2018 Queen's ATP 500.
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Both are certainly not going through the best moment of their respective careers, as the winner of the 2014 US Open has had a serious knee injury that has limited him in recent years. The former world number 1 will certainly start as the favorite.
