Novak Djokovic chooses the balls during the men's singles quarterfinal against Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic (not pictured) at the ATP Shanghai Masters, October 11, 2024. /CFP
The 37-year-old Novak Djokovic was made to work hard for his three-set win by 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik to reach the semifinals and stay on track for a fifth title at the ATP Shanghai Masters on Friday.
The first set went to a tiebreak and Djokovic in red, was up 3-0 but Menisk won seven of eight points to take it 7-4 for an impressive start against the Serbian superstar.
But the fourth seed quickly recovered from losing his first set this week, and he dominated the second set with shots like this forehand winner, going on to take it 6-1.
Mensik upset Andrey Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov in Shanghai, but he was in too deep with the 24-time grand slam champion who showed his speed to get to the drop shot and then pulled off a delicate overhead while leading 5-3 in the third set.
On match point, Djokovic ended it in style with an ace to win the set 6-4 and he will face Taylor Fritz for a place in the final after the American seventh seed beat Belgian David Goffin 6-3, 6-4.
Novak Djokovic (R) and Rafael Nadal shake hands at the net during the Wimbledon Championships in London, England, July 14, 2018. /CFP
After the match, Djokovic recalled his match with Rafael Nadal, who announced his retirement on Thursday.
"Well, I posted… You saw it on Instagram. You know, I meant every word. He's been my greatest rival. The rivalry I had with him has impacted me the most in my career by far. Yeah, we knew that the moment was coming sooner than later. But it's still a shock. When it came officially, also for Roger a few years ago when he announced retirement, Andy as well this year, it's a bit overwhelming for me to be honest," Djokovic said.
"I don't know what to make out of it. I still enjoy competing. But part of me left with them, a big part of me. It's tough news for the tennis world and sports world. Rafa has been an inspiration for millions of children around the world. He can be very proud of this career," he added.