Novak Djokovic, the 21-time Grand Slam champion, overcame a sluggish start and saved set points to defeat Alex Michelsen 7-6(3), 7-6(9) in a riveting second-round clash at the Shanghai Masters. The victory marked a significant milestone for Djokovic, bringing him closer to his 100th career title.
The match was not without its challenges for Djokovic. In the second set, he received a time violation for running down the shot clock, prompting an emotional outburst from the Serb. Djokovic questioned the umpire’s decision, arguing that the automated shot clock should have been delayed due to a long rally and crowd noise.
Despite the incident, Djokovic quickly regained his composure and served an ace to hold serve. He later fought back from two set points down in the deciding tie-break to secure the victory.
“It was the first match against Alex and I also hadn’t played in a while, so it took me a little time to get the rust off,” said Djokovic. “He started off terrifically; big serves and an aggressive style of tennis… he’s not afraid to step it up and take it to his opponent.”
“It was a very close encounter and I thought a high level of tennis in both sets. I’m just glad to keep calm when it mattered in the second-set tie-break.”
Djokovic, who is still recovering from a knee injury, will next face the winner of the match between 28th-seeded Flavio Cobolli and former Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka.
