This year's Shanghai Masters is truly hard to describe in words (continued).

The Shanghai Masters that ended last week was truly difficult to sum up in words.

Fourthly, the physical state of Serbia’s tennis legend Djokovic is concerning. Initially, the veteran Djokovic had no plans to join this year's Shanghai Masters, but unexpectedly declared his participation just a week before the tournament began, which delighted fans and left the organizers scrambling to adjust their marketing strategies and materials.

During the Shanghai Masters, Djokovic played five matches, winning four consecutively before losing in the semifinals. In the third round comeback against German veteran Hanfmann and the intense fourth-round match against Spain’s tough Munar, Djokovic’s stamina was critically low; he frequently appeared breathless and struggling, even experiencing nausea and vomiting, and had to request medical timeouts multiple times due to injuries to his leg, knee, and hip.

Fans were worried whether Djokovic, facing the challenge of Shanghai's hot and humid weather combined with insufficient physical reserves and bodily discomfort, might suddenly withdraw. However, despite being 38 years old, Djokovic showed great determination and persisted until he lost in the semifinals in two sets to Monaco qualifier Vacherot, ranked 204th in the world.

The Shanghai Masters demonstrated that although Djokovic is advanced in age, his skills, experience, and fighting spirit remain undeniable. However, it is visibly clear that his physical functions have changed, with obvious stamina shortages and susceptibility to injury, causing him to struggle in nearly every match and even seek medical timeouts due to injuries. After a three-set defeat in the US Open semifinals to Spain’s versatile warrior Alcaraz, Djokovic said in a press conference: “I’m getting older, and stamina is a big issue. Winning against Alcaraz and Sinner in a best-of-five Grand Slam is really tough. Maybe in best-of-three matches, I still have a chance against them.”

Now that the Shanghai Masters has concluded, fans can’t help but wonder: in best-of-three matches, can Djokovic’s physical condition still allow him to compete comfortably? The question of whether the veteran can still perform well lingers heavily in fans’ minds.

Fifthly, the leading players born after 1995—Germany’s Zverev, Russia’s Medvedev, Greece’s Tsitsipas, and Norway’s Ruud—still show no signs of a strong resurgence. Back in the day, these four post-95 players formed a powerful group, constantly challenging the dominance of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, frequently winning Masters titles, year-end championships, and Olympic singles gold medals. Medvedev even defeated then-world No. 1 Djokovic in straight sets in the 2021 US Open final, claiming the only Grand Slam title among the post-95 players to date, and reached world No. 1 in 2022, becoming the 27th player to hold the top ATP ranking since the computer ranking system was introduced in 1973.

However, as Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic remain strong despite their age, and with the rapid rise of post-2000 players like Spain’s all-around warrior Alcaraz and Italy’s new king Sinner, the post-95 leaders have gradually weakened and fallen behind. Except for Zverev, who still ranks near the top, the other three have long dropped out of the top ten, with Tsitsipas even falling outside the top 20.

During the Shanghai Masters, the four leading post-95 players continued to struggle. Tsitsipas unexpectedly withdrew before the tournament began, Ruud was eliminated in his first match after a first-round bye, Zverev managed only one win before being ousted in the third round by French veteran Lindgren, who had knocked him out in the first round at Wimbledon this year. Medvedev performed slightly better, winning four matches to reach the semifinals, but his lack of stamina and one-dimensional baseline defense tactics repeatedly showed during matches, still lacking strong competitiveness.

Sixthly, the gap between other post-2000 players and the world’s top two, Alcaraz and Sinner, seems to be widening further. Shelton, the newly crowned Rogers Cup champion from Canada and newly ranked top ten American player, continued to struggle after a disappointing US Open, losing his opening match in Shanghai to Belgian veteran and “Lightning” Goffin in an upset.

This year, Italy’s left-hander Musetti, who performed well and entered the top ten for the first time, lost in the round of 16 to Canadian rising star Alcaraz, who had earlier struggled with injuries but showed signs of recovery this year. However, Alcaraz himself was surprisingly defeated in the quarterfinals in straight sets by French veteran Lindgren, greatly disappointing his fans who had high hopes for him at the Shanghai Masters.

Denmark’s rising star Rune fought a tough three-set quarterfinal but lost to Monaco qualifier Vacherot, ranked 204th in the world, who reached the top 100 in his career ranking for the first time. Compared to fellow post-2000 players Alcaraz and Sinner, who have outstanding records, these four leading post-2000 players seem to be falling further behind.

(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Qicai Doufen)