Novak Djokovic battled through a persistent ankle injury and sweltering conditions to secure his place in the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters with a hard-fought victory over Jaume Munar.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion, visibly struggling, required multiple medical timeouts for his left ankle but persevered to win 6-3, 5-7, 6-2. His physical difficulties followed a challenging previous round where he was sick on court amid temperatures exceeding 30°C and 80% humidity.
Despite his discomfort, Djokovic took the first set after receiving treatment. However, Munar capitalized on the Serbian’s condition in the second, leveling the match as Djokovic collapsed to the court in exhaustion after a lengthy rally. After having his blood pressure checked, he returned for the decider.
Demonstrating his renowned resilience, Djokovic broke Munar’s serve immediately in the third set and again to build a 5-2 lead, sealing the victory in two hours and 41 minutes.
Djokovic will next face Zizou Bergs of Belgium, who advanced after a tight 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-8) win over Gabriel Diallo.
The extreme heat has been a significant factor at the tournament. Tenth seed Holger Rune, who progressed with a 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3 win against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, urged the ATP Tour to introduce a heat rule similar to those at Grand Slams. “It’s brutal when you have over 80% of humidity day after day,” Rune stated. “Particularly for the guys when they’re playing during the day with the heat, with sun, it’s even more brutal.”
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