Everything is fine for Novak Djokovic au Masters 1000 de Shanghai. To reach the quarters, the Serb eliminated Alex Michelsen, Flavio Cobolli and the Russian Roman Safiullin without losing a single set. And if he had been pushed around by the American, his last two opponents could do nothing, winning only eight games in total. If he still hasn’t won a single title on the ATP circuit this year, Absencegold medalist at Olympic Gamesrediscover pleasure and gain strength. He could do damage at the end of the season. In the quarter-finals this Thursday, he will face the Czech Jakub Mensikfaller ofAndrey Rublev et Grigor Dimitrov. In case of victory, Djokovic would move up to 7th place in the Race.
Video – Shanghai – Djokovic rushes into the quarters
Discover the Shanghai Masters 1000 table here
“I really believe I can play at a very high level”
“Last night’s game (Tuesday) and tonight’s game (Wednesday) were, perhaps, some of the best I’ve played in a while, so I’m having fun on the field. When you’re playing well and feeling good, there’s obviously a lot of fun to be had in hitting a tennis ball on the court. These feelings that I experience on the tennis court are some of the reasons why I continue to play and compete because I truly believe that I can play at a very high level. Now it’s about keeping this consistency and having a good time off the court,” said Djokovicin search of his 100th title.
“We cannot change the rules during the season”
Since this tournament, a new rule has appeared, giving players less time between points since the collectors are once again allowed to fetch the towel. But many players were warned by the referees, like Frances Tiafoe or Stefanos Tsitsipas. In conference, Djokovic was asked about this. For the Serbian, this change does not come at the right time. “The rule change is absurd. It’s been four years since we had to go get the towels ourselves and suddenly, without telling anyone, the ball boys are allowed to give us the towel again and we are stricter about the timing. I understand that you want to speed up the pace of the game, but we cannot change the rules during the season.“
