Novak Djokovic has shown a very brilliant tennis performance in his second round match in Shanghai against Flavio Cobolli. The 24-time Grand Slam champion – who had not particularly shone on his debut against young American ace Alex Michelsen – has definitely raised his level in the third round leaving only three games to the Italian player.
Novak has returned to China five years after his last appearance and is looking for his fifth title in this Masters 1000. The former world number 1 seems very motivated to win this tournament and secure a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where he would defend last year’s title.
The 37-year-old from Belgrade wants to win his first title in 2024, which did not give him much satisfaction except for the amazing triumph at the Olympics in Paris during the summer. The Serbian legend has not won a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2017 and for the second time since 2011.
The feeling is that the very fast conditions of the Shanghai’s courts are helping Nole at this point of his career. Djokovic can take advantage of his serve and be aggressive from the baseline, as he showed during today’s match against Cobolli. Djokovic has also played little this year and is much more fresh than his rivals.
Nole overtakes Rafa
Novak’s next opponent is the Russian Roman Safiullin, who defeated American ace Frances Tiafoe in the third round. Djokovic and Safiullin have already faced each other this year on the red clay of Monte Carlo, with the clear victory of Nole. Meanwhile – defeating Italian ace Cobolli in Shanghai – the former World No.1 has surpassed his great rival Rafael Nadal for the highest winning percentage at the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments (82.02% for Nole vs. 82% for Rafa).
The 24-time Grand Slam champion was very happy for his performance: “From the beginning I had a clear game plan of what I needed to do, staying aggressive and trying to use every short ball to take the initiative in the point. Cobolli was evidently exhausted after last night’s match against Stan Wawrinka. I think that has taken a toll, physically, on him today. I haven’t played too many matches, I think the positive in that is that I’m fresh, so I am happy to play every day for as long as it takes.”
Djokovic aims to the ATP Finals
At this point of his career, Djokovic has decided to take a much more relaxed approach than he used to and play only when he feels the right motivation. “What works for one person may not work for another,” Nole said in a recent interview in Shanghai. “I try to balance things out and maybe I seem like I’m living a perfectly balanced life, but trust me, I’m not. I try to make the most of it and learn, be the best father and husband I can be, while being a tennis player, and of course a son and a brother.
I miss my family when I’m away, but at the same time I love tennis, I really do, and I have the support of my loved ones to keep playing. So, yeah, it’s a constant challenge, in a way, to really embrace the present and evolve and grow and learn from the experiences that you get to have every day.
I’ve been very fortunate in my life to experience all that I’ve experienced, to have all of these successes. And I’m very grateful to God for giving me that opportunity. So I try to remind myself sometimes when I’m going through tough times, like everybody else, I have tough days, but you have to remember what matters most, the connections, the relationships with people, and try to be the best version of yourself that you can be every day. I think that’s kind of the formula” – he added.
If he achieves a prestigious result in the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season, Novak has a good chance to enter the ATP Finals in Turin. For the moment, the Serbian ace is on the entry list of the Masters 1000 in Paris Bercy but it is not clear if he will participate. After the tournament in Shanghai, Djokovic will fly to Saudi Arabia with Nadal, Sinner, Alcaraz, Medvedev and Rune to participate in the ‘Six Kings Slam‘. The former world number 1 will start his run directly in the semi-finals, where he will face the winner of the match between Sinner and Medvedev. The winner of this prestigious exhibition will win the record prize money of $6 million.