Novak Djokovic showed there is still some fuel left in his old tank when he won his seventh China Open title in Beijing. The Serbian maintained his 100% win record in Beijing, and he is now hungry for more in the upcoming Rolex Shanghai Masters.
Djokovic defeated two-time Grand Slam champion Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinal of the China Open. This was the 102th tour-level title for the veteran and he wants to carry the impetus in Shanghai.
“It was a phenomenal week for me, Beijing, the best week of this year, no doubt,” Djokovic said in his pre-tournament press conference in Shanghai. “I’m trying to build momentum on that here in Shanghai as well, use the confidence and hopefully have another great deep run in this tournament, another tournament in China where I’ve done very well in my career.
“I enjoy playing in China. I’ve said it many times, the fans, the support has been tremendous. Last week it was really something remarkable, very special in terms of the support and love that I’ve been getting from people on the stadium and outside. So, that kind of energy that I really always need as a player on the court, I try to use and perform as best as I can.”
Djokovic also congratulated Japan’s veteran Kei Nishikori, who recently announced his retirement and played his last match on the tour against Frances Tiafoe in the opening round of Japan Open.
“I would like to use another opportunity to congratulate Kei for his outstanding career, a lot to be proud of,” Djokovic said. “He, unfortunately, was injured quite a lot and struggled throughout his career to keep fit. I think this probably might be the only regret that he has, that he wasn’t able to maybe stay healthier longer.
“Because he was, when he was playing his best tennis, he was a top-5 player. Incredibly quick, so talented, the striking and timing of his shots was exceptional. Of course, him retiring in his country, in front of his people, is something that I think every player really dreams of, so I’m sure that he enjoyed his farewell there.”
Djokovic will begin his Shanghai Masters campaign against Hubert Hurkacz on Friday.
