Novak Djokovic is back to winning ways on the ATP Tour after emerging victorious in his opening match at the Shanghai Masters.
Returning to action for the first time since his US Open semifinal exit, Djokovic defeated Marin Cilic in straight sets to book his place in the third round of the tournament.
The Serb recently explained he decided to feature at the ATP Masters 1000 event because of the support he gets from the Chinese fans.
Former American tennis star John Isner thinks there is a completely different reason Djokovic is playing in Shanghai, however.
John Isner explains why Novak Djokovic is playing in Shanghai
In an episode of ‘Nothing Major’, Isner said: “I think he is playing this because, you know, he’s obviously taken a lot of time off this year. He clearly wants to play next year.
“If he wasn’t planning on playing a similar type of schedule he played this year next year, he would not be playing Shanghai. I think too much time off for him would be a big detriment.
“As you get older, as you guys well know, I believe this is at least my experience, the more time off you take, big chunks of time off, the harder it is for me to recover. You need to at least try to play a little bit.
“So I think that’s what he’s doing. Shanghai’s always attracted the top players. Federer always played it. Maybe it had something to do with Rolex or something. I don’t know, but Djokovic is out there playing.
“He’s had a lot of success in Shanghai, of course. So I think this is his way of sort of staying engaged with the tour.
“It will be interesting to see what he does after Shanghai. Last year, he decided not to play Turin, did not play Paris either or anything in the fall, I believe. I think I said last year we would see him in Turin. We didn’t, but we’ll see.
“I think if this is his last tournament of the year, then like, okay, he wants to end it on somewhat of a high note with some good matches, then get ready and prepare for the Australian Open.
“I think this is him just sort of staying physically engaged and mentally engaged to the game so he doesn’t have too much time off.”
Novak Djokovic’s third-round opponent at the Shanghai Masters
After sealing the victory against Cilic, Djokovic’s next test in Shanghai comes in the form of Yannick Hanfmann, whom he has played just once before.
He met the German in the round of 16 at the Geneva Open in 2024, besting him on clay in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
Now, the two will meet on hard court for the first time, with a place in the fourth round up for grabs.
Djokovic’s side of the draw is tough, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion on a collision course with defending champion Jannik Sinner.
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