Novak Djokovic emerged victorious in his first match since the US Open, beating Marin Cilic in straight sets.
Djokovic defeated Cilic 7-6, 6-4 to claim his 20th win over the Croatian, and set up a third-round clash with Yannick Hanfmann.
The Serb admitted he struggled in his return to action, having not played a tour-level match since his semifinal defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at Flushing Meadows.
Cilic made it difficult for Djokovic, who revealed after his triumph that his opponent made him feel ‘uncomfortable’ in the first set.
Novak Djokovic reacts to winning his opening match in Shanghai
Analysing his performance in his post-match press conference, the 24-time major champion said: “I think [my] serving performance was great. I aced him more than he aced me, which is not very common when you play somebody like Marin.
- Djokovic: 10 aces, 2 double faults
- Cilic: 6 aces, 0 double faults
“He has got one of the best serves in the world. He was very aggressive. When he feels the ball, he plays so flat, so deep.
“He’s a big guy, and he had a clear tactical intention to make me uncomfortable and make me defend, which he did in the first set.
‘I dug myself out of trouble with the serve and some good shots. But, you know, it was a tough match for me, no doubt about it. It’s good sometimes to kick-start the tournament with such a match.”
Novak Djokovic reacts to playing in the oldest Masters match
Djokovic’s bout with Cilic marked the match with the oldest combined age between two opponents in ATP Masters 1000 history, with 75 years and 139 days.
Reacting to the feat, the 38-year-old said: “There you go. Hopefully, we can play a few more, make more records.
“I think we both performed like we were maybe 15 years younger, which is good. We keep challenging each other, but also the young guys on the tour.
“At the end of the day, age doesn’t matter when you walk out on the court, you have to find a way to win, so that’s the end game.”
The head-to-head between the two ATP veterans is now 20-2 in favour of Djokovic.
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