Just In: Djokovic Delighted with Shanghai Performance Says ‘Playing My Best in Ages
Novak Djokovic was very happy with his performance at the 2024 Shanghai Masters so far, calling it his best in a while.
The 37-year-old Serbian player arrived in Shanghai with many questions surrounding his form and level. This year, he didn’t win any Grand Slam titles, but he completed his ultimate goal of winning an Olympic gold medal in Paris.
Still, after that, he crashed out of the US Open already in the third round, so it was not clear in what form he arrived in Shanghai, where he reached the quarter-final every single time he played in the tournament.
Entering the tournament, he admitted that his expectations were high, as for any tournament he plays. He certainly backed those words up by reaching his 10th consecutive quarter-final at the event.
While he seemed to struggle a little bit against Alex Michelsen in his first match at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, the following two matches, against Flavio Cobolli (6-1, 6-2) and Roman Safiullin (6-3, 6-2) were extremely dominant displays.
Following his match against the Russian, Djokovic was asked about his level during an on-court interview. The 24-time major winner was supposed to rate it on a scale from one to ten, to which he responded that he was very close to the top level.
“Very close to 10. The [past two matches] are some of the best I’ve played in a while. I’m enjoying myself on the court and when you play well you are feeling good, there is a lot of joy in striking a tennis ball.”
These two matches convinced the Olympic gold medalist that he could still play at a very high level; he just needed to stay consistent.
“These matches and sensations are the reasons why I still play. I believe I can play at a high level and it’s about keeping that consistency.”
After the match, during his press conference, Djokovic didn’t change the sentiment, saying that these two matches were probably his best since the Paris Olympics when he stunned the whole tennis world by playing an incredible match against Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
“I mean, these are back-to-back best matches that I played since the Olympic Games, so I’m really glad that I’m playing on this level; it’s very enjoyable, of course, to be on the court when you’re feeling good, playing well.”
The hope for Djokovic is now that he can keep the level going and add more victories in China. It has been one of the most successful places for him in his tennis career, and he loves coming back.
“Hopefully, I can keep it going. You know, it’s no secret that I enjoy playing in China; I’ve said it before: great energy, great atmosphere, lots of support. I think that influences my game and affects the way I feel on the court as well.”
In the quarter-final, the four-time Shanghai Masters champion will play against Jakub Mensik, who outplayed Grigor Dimitrov in his fourth-round match.
