The tennis season is entering its final stage, and the Shanghai Masters is one of those tournaments that signal the end of another fruitful year. Novak Djokovic is once again the main name on the lips of tennis fans. The Serbian superstar is just a few steps away from his 100th ATP title. We all know that when the Serb has a goal in his focus it is hard to deter him. He’s playing dominantly at the moment and even at 37 years of age he held tennis lessons at his last match for Russia’s Roman Safiullin whom he beat 6-3, 6-1.
As you all probably recall, Djokovic reached the fabulous number of 99 titles after he won the Olympic Gold in August, and he’s been waiting to make it a hundred since. The chances could come his way in only a few days as he’s reached the quarter-final stages in Shanghai where he will cross spears with Czech Jakub Mensik. If you love to bet on tennis then you already know that the Czech teenager doesn’t hold any chances against one of the best tennis players of all time according to bookmakers.
Djokovic is a player that loves to break the records and he has so few left to make him the undisputed king of tennis. As of now, the only two players with more wins at ATP tournaments than him are legendary Jimmy Connors who has 109, and Roger Federer who raked up 103. Novak, who has 24 majors to his name will be looking to become the third man in the history of the sport to reach a century of wins at big tournaments. This is not an easy feat and not even the likes of Rafael Nadal managed to crack the 100 wins.
Djokovic is entering the QF stages in Shanghai full of confidence. He’s been on a high note mentally since he managed to complete the one trophy he was missing and that was the Olympic Gold. Now, he’s feeling good physically after an injury scare earlier in the season. After his win over Safiullin in the previous round in Shanghai Djokovic spoke to reporters and stated that he was feeling better than ever, that his performance against the Russian players was as close to perfect as it could and that his tennis was at a high level at the moment making him one of the favorites to win the Shanghai Masters.
While Djokovic had a fair share of wins at ATP 1000 events, this is his first appearance in Shanghai since 2019. Considering that it could mark his 100th win at tournaments, the Serbian superstar is not refuting the claim that he’s feeling extra motivated by the fact. After all, he has a long history considering that he has won the tournament in Shanghai a record four times. Of all active and retired players, he holds the most wins at this tournament.
While Djokovic is one of the favorites and he has an extra motive to go hard for the title it will not be an easy task. The last eight is reserved for some of the top names in tennis, and many top-10 ranked players have managed to enter the late stages of this tournament including Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner. The draw so far was favorable for the best players, but now that they’re going to be pitted one against the other only the best will prevail and reach the semi-finals before even taking a look at the final stage.
Yet, Djokovic is looking like an Olympic-self for the first time since he lost in the third round of the US Open showing the world that he’s only human after all. After his loss in America, he took a sabbatical, and this is his first ATP tournament since. In his three matches in China, he didn’t drop a set in duels against Flavio Cobolli, Alex Michelsen, and Safiullin. Furthermore, his game is on a high level marked by powerful and precise serves, and impeccable baseline exchange. Djokovic feels good, looks good, and is playing amazing as a result.
Who’s Keeping Djokovic’s Company at Shanghai Quarter Finals?
Only a few days ago everyone was expecting that Novak Djokovic would have to face off with Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. David Goffin had a word or two to say about that as he managed to beat Zverev 6-4, 7-5, and create the biggest surprise of the tournament so far. Maybe, this is a sign that a veteran player can claim the crown in Shanghai. Goffin has been on the rise in recent months after he dropped out of the top 100 back in June. This is his first ATP 250 or higher quarter-final in two years after he managed to reach the quarters at Wimbledon in 2022.
On the other side of the draw Jannik Sinner was not in the mood to allow another surprise. The Italian No1 managed to beat American Ben Shelton, 6-4, 7-6 on Wednesday and to schedule a duel against Medvedev. The Russian tennis player is the fifth seed in this tournament and he defended his ranking against the 10th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6, 6-3. In what’s been in fashion at this tournament, Tsitsipas had an argument with the umpire Fergus Murphy while he held a 2-1 lead on his serve in the second set. The argument threw Stefanos off balance and he eventually lost the duel. The Greek sensation accused the umpire of being against him. While we can’t say if that’s the case, Tsitsipas lost only one out of the next five games and consequently lost the match.
The last name in the quarter-finals is one of the biggest prospects tennis has seen in the last few years, Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard is on a 12-win streak, with the last of them coming against Gael Monfils 6-4, 7-5. Just last week, he was the one to lift the title in Beijing and it would appear that the China courts are suiting him well.
There are only a few matches left to conclude this tournament and for us to see whether Novak Djokovic will be able to win his 100th major title. His competitors will not make this task easy, as among the names that are left in the draw he had his fair share of troubles with the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz. It was evident for a while now that the new generation of tennis talent has graced the scene and out of the old guard Novak is the only one still holding the mantle. While it’s believed that he will be able to win more titles than Jimmy Connors and that he will cement his place as the tennis GOAT, Alcaraz and co. will not make this task easy for sure. After all, they’re here to make history for themselves.
The Masters in Shanghai continues on Thursday with matches between Jannic Sinner vs. Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz vs. Tomas Machac while Fritz vs. Goffin and Djokovic vs. Mensik is scheduled for Friday.