Novak Djokovic, greeted as the “Greatest Of All Time” by the roaring Shanghai Masters crowd, had to dig deep to secure his place in the third round on Saturday. The Serbian champion faced a formidable opponent in American Alex Michelsen, who started the match with a strong showing, breaking Djokovic early and leading 1-4 in the first set. The crowd, eager to witness the former world number one’s dominance, was initially frustrated.
However, Djokovic quickly turned the tide, leveling the set and ultimately securing a 7-6 (7/3) victory in the tiebreak. The second set followed a similar pattern, with Michelsen putting up a strong fight and forcing a second tiebreak. Djokovic, despite admitting to being “surprised” by Michelsen’s performance, managed to remain composed and secure the win after a nail-biting tiebreak ending 11-9.
“It took me a little bit of time to get the rust off and to start feeling better on the court,” said Djokovic, highlighting the challenge of returning to competition. “I was very glad to keep calm when it mattered in both tiebreaks.” The crowd, already enthralled by Djokovic’s performance, erupted in cheers when he attempted a sentence in Shanghainese vernacular after the match.
Meanwhile, second seed Alexander Zverev, who had been dealing with health issues, looked strong in his victory against Mattia Bellucci, winning 6-4, 6-2. “Everything is ok when you win… I was very uncertain of my level before this tournament started,” admitted Zverev, referencing his recent struggles.
However, the tournament saw the elimination of another top-ten player in Andrey Rublev, who fell to 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik in a closely contested match. Mensik, ranked 65th in the world, showed his grit, coming from behind to secure a 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 6-3 victory, marking his second win over Rublev this year.
