Djokovic expresses gratitude to his Chinese fans

Novak Djokovic conveyed a heartfelt message following his hard-fought victory in the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters.

Novak Djokovic sent an emotional message after surviving a challenging fourth-round match at the Shanghai Masters. The four-time champion took 2 hours and 41 minutes to defeat Jaume Munar with a score of 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.

Djokovic acknowledged that the match was extremely demanding as he struggled with physical issues, especially under the high humidity conditions in Shanghai. Despite exhaustion, the Serbian player found the final reserves of energy to break through in the deciding set, securing victory with two breaks of his opponent’s serve.

“It was a very challenging day on court,” Djokovic shared on social media after the match, skipping the press conference on doctors’ advice to rest. “I thank the fans—the greatest source of motivation—for their nonstop support that helped me finish this match.”

The match featured difficult moments for Djokovic, who experienced issues with his left leg from the very first set. Despite overcoming the pain and closing the opening set with a break advantage, the world No. 4 began to fade in the second set against Munar’s persistence. The Spanish player seized the chance to break at the end of the set to level the match, forcing Djokovic to push himself while exhausted.

The 37-year-old passed a medical check and returned determined in the final set. He broke Munar’s serve in the second game, maintained strong serving performance, and closed the match with a 2-1 victory, continuing his pursuit of the Shanghai Masters title.

With this win, Djokovic secured a spot in the quarterfinals for the 11th time in his 11 appearances at the Shanghai event. If he recovers in time, the veteran will face Zizou Bergs in the next round, keeping his hopes alive for a 40th Masters 1000 title in his career.