Novak Djokovic had to work hard to break down Jakub Mensik’s resistance and qualify for the semifinals of the Shanghai Rolex Masters for the ninth time in his career. After losing the first set in the tiebreak, the Serbian champion raised his level to come back from behind against the 19-year-old Czech and close the challenge in three sets.
At the end of the match, Djokovic talked about the condition of his knee and the ever-closer goal of his 100th career title, underlining how he wants to show the world that he is still one of the best – if not the best – tennis player in activity.
“It means more because I don’t have a lot of opportunities. I have a selective schedule and I haven’t played at my best level this year, except maybe a few occasions: Wimbledon, Olympics. But China has always been a happy place, a place where I’ve played my best tennis in my entire career. So, you know, these kind of matches, against teenagers! It’s something that motivates me, it keeps me going and it pushes me to really dig deep, and to show the world that I can still go ahead with young people. I’m very happy that I was able to win this very challenging match,” he said.
The Serbian champion also analyzed Mensik’s match, explaining: “Mentally I felt good. I felt quite tense at the end of the first set, and I wasn’t playing my best tennis at that moment, so I was a little bit angry with myself for not closing out the first set. But I recovered, started the second set very well, winning 6-1. In the third set I had a lot of opportunities in his service games, but his serve is extraordinary, very difficult to beat. I’ve known him for three, four years, I’ve followed his rise in the rankings, his development. He’s a good guy, a very talented player, a great prospect. He has a bright future, for sure, if he continues like this. He knows he’s one of my favorite players to watch and I always support him, so I hope there will be more matches and great battles.”
On the condition of his left knee, he added: “It’s a strange feeling, to be honest, that I had for two points in the match, but then everything was fine. So, I hope that when it cools down I won’t have any problems, because I already have problems with my right knee, so it wouldn’t be good. Let’s see how I feel tomorrow. I think you can always do better, but I think I played really well in this tournament. I played matches and tomorrow I have an opponent with a great serve in Taylor Fritz, so I have to be ready for another difficult and fought match. I know what to expect, this is the time for me to try to improve even more.”
Djokovic’s words can be prophetic: The Serbian champion can really still be able to win against anyone and in any tournament. He may be satisfied with what he has achieved in his career, but Nole still wants to push himself further into the history of tennis.
This is what his opponents must not forget: if Djokovic had done Djokovic, in 2024, Sinner would have had no chances in Melbourne and New York, for example. The Serbian champion just needs to regain a decent physical shape and, above all, desire and motivation. The last tournaments of the season, till the ATP Finals, can help him to gain back the trust he need to project himself to 2025 with a newfound will of win.
