Novak Djokovic is playing at Shanghai for the first time since 2019.
Novak Djokovic arrived at Shanghai Masters 2024 in the grandest way possible. During the players introduction, Djokovic was welcomed onto the court as the Greatest Player of all time by the announcer. The crowd roared as they welcomed Djokovic who raised his hand in the air to embrace the love from Shanghai. The style was similiar to a ‘WWE’ entry as the cheers around Djokovic was loud and clear.
The 37-year-old has justified the greatest of all time title title bestowed upon him by fans and rivals. It did not take him much time to get back into shape on the court as he had not played a match in almost a month. Djokovic made sure there were plenty of shots and rallies which enthralled the crowd.
The Serbian, although had an iconic start to ATP Shanghai Masters 2024, he was made to work hard during the match against the 20-year-old Alex Michelsen. The match lasted for an hour and 55 minutes as Djokovic even saved multiple set points in the second set to ensure his stay was not extended.
Michelsen could not come close to troubling Djokovic when he was at his best as the veteran produced 35 winners during the match.
The crowd could witness more legendary moments from Djokovic in Shanghai Masters this season as he is yet to showcase his usual form. The fourth seed clearly looked overwhelmed after the match and even took to X to thank the fans in the event. He was seen celebrating with the crowd after the victory.
Novak Djokovic shows his love for fans after opening match at Shanghai Masters 2024
As of 2024, Djokovic has been the most successful player to have competed in Shanghai Masters. He made his debut in the event in 2009 and went on to collect four titles in the subsequent seasons. But the 2019 season saw him taking a break from the event as it went on until this season. While fans missed him for sure, Djokovic too showed that he had missed the love from the fans in Shanghai.
The world No# 4 posted on X saying, ‘Shanghai I’ve missed you! Thank you for the support and the kind introduction. 我爱上海 (I love Shanghai). With the caption a bit in Chinese, Djokovic made sure he conveyed his feelings to the fans.
Djokovic will be next seen in action on October 6 and could face either Stan Wawrinka or Flavio Cobolli in round 32 of Shanghai Masters 2024.