SHANGHAI – Novak Djokovic dropped his second set and needed medical attention, but he recovered and beat Jaume Munal 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 at the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday.
After losing a long rally with a big forehand at the end of the second set, Djokovic collapsed to the ground and left his forearm above his eye for a few seconds. He then slowly got up, placed his head between his legs and returned to his chair, assisted by a trainer.
He was treated with a chair before the start of the third set, but after the opponent missed a simple overhead in a 40-15 lead, he quickly broke Munar.
Djokovic, 38, declined to do the traditional on-court interview after the match, but wrote about X, “It’s a tough day in the office. It’s physically very tough.”
A tough day in the office. It’s physically very challenging. Luckily I have the greatest support in the world 🫶🏼. I love Shinkai pic.twitter.com/PgGHHA0Zqm
– Novak Djokovic (@djokernole) October 7, 2025
This victory made Djokovic the oldest player to advance to the top eight in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament. This is two months older than Roger Federer’s record when he reached the quarterfinals in Shanghai in 2019.
Djokovic is chasing his 41st Masters title, which will improve his record.
The next match will be against Jizou Bergs (Belgium).
10th seed Holger Rune also overcomes a tough ordeal by defeating big-name Frenchman Giovanni Mpesi Pericard 6-4, 6-7(7) and 6-3.