SHANGHAI – Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after losing the second set but fought back to beat Jaume Munar 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in hot and humid conditions at the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday.
After losing a long rally, by sending a forehand wide to end the second set, Djokovic fell to the ground and remained on his back, forearms hanging toward his eyes for several seconds. He then slowly sat up, placed his head between his legs, and was helped back to the chair by the coach.
He received medical treatment in a chair before the start of the third set, but fell immediately after his opponent missed a simple overhead shot while leading 40-15.
The 38-year-old Djokovic declined to give a traditional on-court interview after the match but wrote on X: “Tough day in the office. Physically challenging.”
The win makes Djokovic the oldest man to reach the last eight matches at the ATP Masters 1000 event – two months older than Roger Federer when he reached the quarter-finals in Shanghai in 2019.
Djokovic is chasing a record 41st Masters title.
Next, he will face Belgium’s Zizou Bergs.
Tenth seed Holger Rune also experienced a difficult challenge and defeated Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-3.
