Novak Djokovic nears ‘destiny’ milestone in Shanghai as he also attains staggering statistic
Novak Djokovic proclaimed that the chance to fight for his 100th title at the Shanghai Masters “feels like a destiny” ahead of his showdown with Jannik Sinner in the final.
The 37-year-old tennis icon defeated world No 7 Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-6(6) in a pulsating last four encounter at the Masters 1000 event.
Djokovic now holds a 10-0 record against Fritz, which makes the 26-year-old American the sixth player to lose their first 10 matches against the great Serb.
Andreas Seppi, Gael Monfils, Jeremy Chardy, Marin Cilic and Milos Raonic are the other players who lost at least their first 10 meetings with Djokovic.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion is seeking a fifth Shanghai Masters title and 41st ATP Masters 1000 crown overall — both of which would extend records he already holds.
Djokovic is also aiming to become only the third man to win 100 ATP titles after fellow legends Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer, who finished their careers with 109 and 103 tournament wins respectively.
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Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics in August to secure his 99th career singles title. That is the only tournament the world No 4 has won so far in 2024.
In his press conference after beating Fritz, Djokovic expressed what it would mean to reach a century of titles in China.
“Yeah, it’s always special,” Djokovic said. “In China, it feels like a destiny to fight for a 100th title here in a place where I’ve had great success in the past, where I have tremendous support.
“And very grateful, especially tonight, the atmosphere was electric, people were really backing me all the way through. So, yeah, it’s great to play in such atmosphere, you know, and just gets me going and motivates me to push even harder.
“Yeah, I’m in a great position to win the title, you know, fighting for my 100th title overall, and 41st Masters, against the best player in the world.
“I won’t be a favourite on the court, but hopefully I’ll be able to come out physically fresh enough, you know, to challenge him for what may be, you know, the long match.
“I have to expect probably the toughest encounter of the tournament, and I have to be ready for it, so I look forward to a great challenge.”
By reaching his fifth final in Shanghai, Djokovic now holds the remarkable distinction of having reached at least five finals at all six of the current hard-court Masters 1000 tournaments.
Djokovic has reached six finals in Indian Wells, seven in Miami, five in Canada, eight in Cincinnati, and nine in Paris.
