Novak Djokovic held off an upset bid to move into the Shanghai Masters semi-finals on Thursday.
The Serbian legend secured his spot with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Zizou Bergs. Djokovic is now into a record 80th ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.
He recently surpassed one of Roger Federer’s records and has the chance to add another milestone when he faces Monegasque qualifier Valentin Vacherot next.
Age has not seemed to slow him down at all, and he is now considered the clear favourite to win a fifth title in Shanghai.
Djokovic has rarely stumbled at this event, having only once failed to reach at least the last four.
Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Novak Djokovic in 2019 Shanghai Masters quarter-finals
Novak Djokovic has taken part in the Shanghai Masters 11 times, claiming the trophy on four occasions.
Across those appearances, he has reached at least the semi-final stage 10 times.
The one exception came in 2019 when Stefanos Tsitsipas got the better of him. The Greek, then seeded sixth, won a tight contest 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Tsitsipas went on to fall short against Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals. Medvedev went on to capture the title and begin his ascent up the world rankings.
Since then, the Greek has dropped down the rankings following an extended period of poor form and currently sits outside the top 20 players in men’s tennis.
Djokovic has won his last 11 matches against Tsitsipas
Since their clash at the 2019 Shanghai Masters, Djokovic has completely dominated his head-to-head with Tsitsipas.
The 38-year-old holds an 11-match winning streak over the Greek, stretching back to the Paris Masters later that same year.
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Djokovic now leads their rivalry 12-2, with their most recent meeting coming at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Serbian came through that one 6-3, 7-6 and went on to claim the gold medal in France.
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