Novak Djokovic kicked off his 2024 Shanghai Masters journey by facing Alex Michelsen and winning in straight sets.
Before this match, Djokovic last played at the Davis Cup against Greece, where he performed well but didn’t face tough opponents. His first real challenge since the US Open came at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai.
At the US Open, Djokovic faced Alexei Popyrin and surprisingly lost with ease.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇷🇸 Novak Djokovic | 37 | 8,360 | 18 - 6 |
He mentioned that events like the Shanghai Masters aren’t his main focus right now; he’s more interested in the Davis Cup and Grand Slams. Fans might think he’s saving his energy for bigger tournaments.
Match Highlights:
Even though these aren’t his top priorities, Djokovic still aims to win every match he plays. He started shakily against Michelsen, which isn’t unusual after a break from playing. Michelsen is quite skilled on hard courts and started strong with a 3-0 lead.
However, Djokovic gradually found his rhythm and broke back to level things out. Both players held their serves well until a tie-breaker decided the set. Michelsen served seven aces but struggled during rallies, hitting 14 winners but also making 15 unforced errors.
Djokovic’s stats were better: he scored 20 winners with only nine unforced errors, helping him clinch the tie-break 7-3.
As Djokovic adapted to Michelsen’s style, he anticipated an early break in the second set—and it happened as expected when he led 3-1. Reading Michelsen’s serve became easier for him as he limited free points for his opponent while staying solid during rallies.
Though breaking through Djokovic’s defense is tough, Michelsen managed it sometimes during this encounter—enough to break back in set two and extend play slightly longer than anticipated.
Djokovic holds four trophies from previous Shanghai tournaments but hadn’t competed there since 2019 due to cancellations caused by COVID-19 restrictions; missing last year’s edition too made this match feel like an apt return moment for him against Michelsen.
The second set also ended with another nail-biting tie-breaker where Djokovic saved two set points before finally securing victory: 7-6(3), 7-6(9). What do you think about Novak’s performance?
