Novak Djokovic admits having a ‘physical crisis’ against Jakub Mensik in Shanghai
Novak Djokovic served for the first set, but eventually lost in on the tiebreak against Jakub Mensik and then made his comeback.
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Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)
World No.4 Novak Djokovic admitted that his match against rising star Jakub Mensik was a tough physical battle. The two played for two and a half hours, with the Serbian winning 6-7, 6-1, 6-4.
Djokovic praised Mensik for his performance and said both players struggled physically during the second set. However, his experience helped him push through. The 37-year-old will now face Taylor Fritz in the next round.
We went toe to toe, ’til the last moment, ’til the last game. I was fortunate to really find great serves in the last game, couple of aces, that helps. I didn’t serve that well at the end of the first set when I was serving for the set at 5-4. He managed to turn things around, [he] played a good tiebreak. I played quite a bad tiebreak.
Novak Djokovic said in his post-match interview in Shanghai
After a slow start, Djokovic found his rhythm in the second set, winning 92 percent of points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He’s aiming to become the third oldest player to reach an ATP Masters 1000 semi-final since 1990.
I just kind of stayed collected and started off very well in the second and I felt that we both had a little bit of a physical crisis at the beginning of the second. I think we pushed each other a lot, a lot of long rallies. A tough battle, really. Almost two and a half hours.
Novak Djokovic added
Mensik, just 19, was playing in his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. He beat World No.6 Andrey Rublev and No.9 Grigor Dimitrov on his way to the last eight. He is also in strong contention to qualify for the Next Gen Finals.
Novak Djokovic stays on track for history in Shanghai
Novak Djokovic is aiming to achieve his 100th ATP singles title, hoping to join the exclusive “Hundred Club” alongside legends Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer.
With his season record improving to 36-8, Djokovic moved ahead of Andrey Rublev to take seventh place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The Serb, who has won a record seven Nitto ATP Finals titles, now leads ninth-placed Alex de Minaur by 355 points.
It’s unclear whether Djokovic will focus on the BNP Paribas Masters or other ATP 500 events for the rest of the season. He has mentioned that ATP events are no longer his main focus, making the situation uncertain for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Djokovic has played sparingly since winning Olympic gold in singles. The Shanghai Masters marks just his second event since then, with his US Open run ending in the third round, where he lost to Alexei Popyrin.
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Fahad Hamid
(624 Articles Published)