The extreme conditions in which the Shanghai Masters 1000 is being played have also tested the resistance of Novak Djokovic, who vomited during his third-round match against German ace Yannick Hanfmann before prevailing in three sets after a tough battle.
The Serbian legend who has lifted the trophy in this event four times has a huge chance in the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season, as world number 2 Jannik Sinner (who could have been his opponent in the semifinals) was forced to retire during his match against Tallon Griekspoor yesterday due to cramps.
The former world No.1 certainly did not express his best tennis in the first two rounds of this tournament, but he still reached the round of 16 at the age of 38 despite the terrifying humidity that caused numerous complaints among the players.
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Djokovic earned a comeback win
The veteran from Belgrade who had gone all the way to the final here in 2024 will be back in action against Spanish player Jaume Munar tomorrow and will try to qualify for the quarter-finals. The shot that has helped the 24-time Grand Slam champion the most up to this point in the tournament is undoubtedly his serve, which has allowed him to come out unscathed from several delicate situations and to crumble the certainties of his rivals.
During his latest press conference in Shanghai, Novak confided how fundamental this shot has become to his game: The first couple of matches here, I must say that probably stands out as the best shot in my game. It makes a difference, you know. It made a difference for him. He broke my serve early in the first, and he held his serve comfortably all the way until the end of the second. So even though the courts are slower than they were last year, and the balls as well.
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Djokovic continued: But if youre hitting your spots well with the serve, its tough, its tough to break serve. Im really glad with the way Im serving. I need to improve my game overall from the baseline. I know what needs to be better, and hopefully it will be in the next round already.
