Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune made a winning start at the Shanghai Masters, beating Marin Cilic and Sebastian Baez with similar scoreboards. The Serb and the Dane practiced ahead of the tournament.
It was another fierce training session that continues their tradition that always brings out their best tennis. Years ago, the young Holger sent Novak a message and asked him for a training session in Monte Carlo.
The legend accepted, and we have beenseeing them hitting regularly since. They shared the court in Shanghai on Thursday, a day before their first encounters at the penultimate Masters 1000 event of the season.
Rune admitted it always helps when he trains with Djokovic, and the veteran made a lighthearted comment that he made the young gun say that. Novak values match-like intensity during practice.
Thus he praised their sessions for containing high focus and effort from both sides. The Serb believes that working alongside someone as driven as Rune provides the ideal conditions to fine-tune his game before competition begins.
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Their exchanges reached the intensity of a real match, with extended rallies and emotional reactions after key points. Holger has often spoken about learning from Novak's mindset and precision.
For his part, Djokovic appreciates Rune's passion and willingness to test his limits in every rally. Their latest practice run served as another reminder of the mutual respect between the generations.
It combines Novak's enduring hunger for excellence and Holger's determination to rise among the elite and fulfil his potential. As we already said, both players are through to the third round in Shanghai.
Djokovic bested Marin Cilic 7-6, 6-4 after a massive battle, while Rune ousted Sebastian Baez 7-5, 6-4. Two rivals could meet in the semi-final, but the Dane would likely have to beat Jannik Sinner en route to a possible Novak clash.
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"I made him say that (laughs). We always have very intense training sessions, which is great. Sometimes we push each other to the limit like a match. Having such a high level of concentration and dedication in training is fantastic, especially coming from someone so young.
I enjoy those training sessions because they prepare me in the best possible way for the tournament and what awaits me in future matches," Novak Djokovic said.
