Djokovic attends Shanghai Masters

Since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open semi-finals three weeks ago, Djokovic has not played any more official matches. Similar to recent years, the Serbian player continued to skip a number of ATP 250 and 500 events in China and Japan at the start of the hard court season in Asia.

"I still haven't decided what to do and where to play for the rest of the season ", Djokovic said after the end of the US Open, in mid-September.

About a week ago, the 38-year-old tennis player confirmed his participation in the Hellenic Championship in Athens, Greece in early November. This is a tournament managed by the Djokovic family, held in Belgrade in past. Athens is where Djokovic and his wife will settle in the near future, after a conflict arose with pro-Serbian government media.

Except for this "diplomatic" tournament, along with the Shanghai Masters, Djokovic is no longer interested in the 2025 season. He is ranked third in the Race to Turin scoreboard, but will likely be absent from the ATP Finals for the second time in a row. Before that, Nole may also miss the Paris Masters because this tournament takes place right before ATP 250 Athens.

If he wins the right to play in the cup match of the event in Greece, Djokovic will only have one day of rest before the ATP Finals opens in Turin, Italy. In the 2024 season, Nole dropped the tournament for the 8 best players of the year.

Another event Djokovic also agreed to appear in was the Six Kings Slam, a friendly tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, starting in mid-October. Last year, Nole also played this tournament, ranked third thanks to his victory over Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic currently holds the record four times. won the Shanghai Masters. In the 2024 season, the Serbian player reached the final and lost to Jannik Sinner.

"I evaluate my chances of winning more in the format of three sets to win two, with a one-week event, or Masters 1000 tournaments that last two weeks and have a day off between the first rounds, " Djokovic added about his chances of competing with Alcaraz and Sinner.. "This type of tournament will increase my competitiveness when facing them ".

Close sources say that Djokovic is currently spending all his time resting with his family and practicing with the team. Reaching the semi-finals of four Grand Slams this season shows that the 38-year-old tennis player does not necessarily have to compete continuously to maintain form.

Djokovic is currently one title away from the all-time major record, to officially surpass female legend Margaret Court, who also holds 24 Grand Slam singles. Another goal for Nole is Jimmy Connors' record of 109 career titles, or, in the short term, Roger Federer's 103. Djokovic now has 100 titles after winning the Geneva Open in May.