Testing best-of-three theory, Novak Djokovic to play Shanghai Masters

The Rolex Shanghai Masters announced Tuesday that four-time champion Novak Djokovic would make his 14th main-draw appearance at the Masters 1000 event.

For Djokovic, Shanghai will mark the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s first tournament since the 2025 US Open, where he lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic discussed the potential benefits of playing more Masters 1000 tournaments following his Flushing Meadows defeat to Alcaraz, having lost to both Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in his last three Grand Slam outings.

“I do fancy my chances a bit more in best-of-three, I guess, one-week tournaments or the Masters tournaments, where you have almost two weeks with quite a few days between matches,” the 38-year-old said earlier this month. “So, you know, that could serve me better in the matchups against them.”

The remarks were quite the turnaround from statements made at the start of the tournament. Indeed, the former world No. 1 had begun the US Open by reaffirming his intent to mainly enter Grand Slam tournaments, saying, “To be quite frank with you, I don't enjoy the two-week Masters events anymore. It's just way too long for me” during his pre-tournament Media Day press conference.

Currently ranked third in the PIF ATP Race to Turin, Djokovic had not committed to playing any tournaments beyond an ATP 250 event in Athens, which had relocated from Belgrade, Serbia.

Djokovic last competed in Shanghai in 2024, where he reached the final and finished runner-up to then-top-ranked Jannik Sinner.