Djokovic overcomes exhaustion to battle into Shanghai quarterfinals

SHANGHAI — Novak Djokovic overcame exhaustion and played through an ankle injury scare on Tuesday to make it to the quarterfinals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, beating Spain's Jaume Munar 6-3,5-7, 6-2.

The hard-won victory keeps Djokovic as the favorite, and on track to claim a record-extending fifth title in the East China metropolis, with other top seeds already withdrawn or knocked out.

The 38-year-old looked barely able to continue when the match went to a decider, but he conjured up the energy to break his opponent — a decade his junior — twice in the third set.

"Thank you, thank you everyone, I love you!" Djokovic shouted in Chinese to the adoring crowd before leaving the court almost immediately after play finished.

He declined the traditional on-court interview after the match but wrote on X: "Tough day at the office. Very challenging physically."

The 24-time Grand Slam champion had a good start despite the 84 percent humidity, breaking Munar in the fourth game.

Djokovic's problems began shortly afterward, when his left ankle slid out behind him as he rushed towards the net, and he had to take a medical timeout.

He grimaced in pain as he was attended to by an on-court physio, but managed to resume to hold the fifth game.

Djokovic received treatment again in the second set, and looked increasingly fatigued, crouching over frequently in between rallies and, again, vomiting on court.

Chinese fans waving Serbian flags roared in support, but the 41st-ranked Munar ultimately broke in the 12th game of the second set, following an unforced error from his opponent.

An agonized Djokovic dropped to the court and remained splayed out as a medic rushed over.

But, he picked himself up for a compelling third-set revival, breaking in the first and seventh games, sending the stadium into a frenzy.

Djokovic is now the oldest player to reach an ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal, and the highest-ranking player left in Shanghai.

World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament prior to its start to rest, and the second, third and fourth-ranked Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz have all been eliminated.

The Shanghai event has been beset by injuries, as players have battled the humidity coupled with temperatures exceeding 30 C.

Sinner was forced to retire in the deciding set of his third-round match on Sunday after his leg seized up with extreme cramps.

Struggles with heat

World No 11 Holger Rune, who has also struggled with the conditions, called on Tuesday for tennis authorities to introduce a heat policy for events like Shanghai.

Spectators at the center court wafted fans and wore cool packs on their foreheads to counter the suffocating humidity.

The main court in Shanghai has a roof, but it remains open and would only be closed if it rains — there is no prospect of that for the remainder of the tournament.

The ATP said in a statement that player safety was its top priority, and it is considering such a policy.

Currently, decisions affecting play to do with weather conditions, including heat, "lie with the on-site ATP Supervisor, in coordination with on-site medical teams and local authorities", it said.

"It remains under active review, and additional measures, including the implementation of an official heat policy are currently being evaluated," it added.

Conditions Wednesday saw some respite, with temperatures dropping slightly to the high 20s.

Temperatures are set to rise again in the coming days and peak on Sunday, the day of the final, with forecasts estimating 32-33 C.

AFP