Novak Djokovic becomes first player to record 10 quarter-final appearances in ATP Shanghai Masters

Novak Djokovic made his ATP Shanghai Masters debut in 2009.

Novak Djokovic continued his record-breaking campaign in ATP Shanghai Masters 2024 with a straight set win in the fourth round. He defeated Russian Roman Safiullin 6-3, 6-2 to march into his 10th quarter-final in Shanghai. Djokovic is the first player to record 10 quarter-final appearances in the event. He has at least made the quarter-finals every time he has featured in the event as of 2024.

Djokovic made his debut in the event in the inaugural edition in 2009. He went on to reach the semi-finals where eventual champion, Nikolay Davydenko overcame Djokovic in a three hour marathon. The Serbian has always been a top performer in Shanghai and is one win away from reaching the semi-finals for the ninth time.

Djokovic is playing in Shanghai for the 10th time and the 2019 edition was the first instance where he failed to reach the last four. This time he has been playing to absolute perfection especially in the previous two matches.

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Djokovic recorded his third win over Safiullin in as many meetings and is yet to drop a set against the 27-year-old. The Serbian only needed an hour and three minutes to register a dominating victory over Safiullin. He will next face another player who has set a record in Shanghai.

Jakub Mensik overcame Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round to become the youngest player yet to reach the quarter-finals in Shanghai. The 19-year-old had earlier shocked Andrey Rublev in the second round and will now face Djokovic for the first time. Mensik and Djokovic have already made history at the event as they also have similar goals ahead of their match.

The teenager is placed fourth in the singles race for Next Gen ATP Finals 2024 while Djokovic is placed eighth in Nitto ATP Finals. Their performance in Shanghai will play a crucial role in qualification for the season ending championship. While Djokovic has all the advantage, he will need time to get used to Mensik as the pair has never met on the tour.

The Czech player has lost a set each in every match at Shanghai so far. He has also spent over eight and half hours on the court. Mensik could be visibly exhausted while playing against Djokovic but he will receive more than a day’s rest before the battle. The quarter-finals are scheduled for October 11. Mensik will hope to impress the crowd in his first Masters 1000 quarter-finals.

Mensik will hope to use the gap to recover as he will need to recover to blast monster serves. His fastest serve in the fourth round was clocked at 224 km/hour and that will need to be repeated against one of the return leaders. Djokovic is yet to lose a drop set in Shanghai and has hit a minimum of 15 winners each match. He also has won at least 70 percent of his net points.

Overcoming Djokovic on any day and surface is a herculean task but Mensik could halt him this time. Shanghai has all the love for Djokovic but Mensik’s serve and powerful groundstrokes could cause a heartbreak for the crowd. The veteran will have all the support needed from his loyal fanbase in Shanghai as he looks to enter the semi-finals.

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