Novak Djokovic names the only ATP tournament he is committing to play after the Shanghai Masters

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Novak Djokovic wasn’t committing to much during his pre-Shanghai Masters press conference.

In the Serb’s defence, his appearance this week was a surprise, as Djokovic chose to compete at the Shanghai Masters last minute.

After the tournament finishes, he will head over to Saudi Arabia for the Six Kings Slam exhibition event.

There is still tennis to be played after that, however, although it’s unclear how many more tournaments Djokovic intends to play.

Speaking in Shanghai, Djokovic only committed to playing one more ATP tournament before the end of the year.

Novak Djokovic commits to playing the ATP 250 event in Athens but is undecided about the ATP Finals

During his pre-tournament press conference, Djokovic shed some light on his plans for the rest of the year.

“Turin. Yeah, it is a tournament where I had quite a bit of success in the last years, I won it two times, and hopefully I can be back, let’s see,” he said.

“I don’t make plans long-term anymore. I’ve said that, I said that in New York.

“So after Shanghai, the only tournament I know I’m going to play is the one in Athens, and then let’s see if I play Turin or not, I’m not sure yet.”

Djokovic will play the Hellenic Championships ATP 250 in Athens, an event which was originally supposed to be held in his home country, Serbia.

He is still, however, unsure whether he will travel to Turin for the ATP Finals.

Despite qualifying, Djokovic chose to withdraw from last year’s ATP Finals, and many are expecting him to do the same in 2025.

The 38-year-old currently sits fourth in the Live ATP Race to Turin and is unlikely to miss out on qualification.

A title in Shanghai would seal qualification for Djokovic, although securing a fifth career win in China may be easier said than done…

Novak Djokovic’s route to the 2025 Shanghai Masters title

Djokovic will begin his Shanghai Masters campaign against Croatia’s Marin Cilic on Saturday.

The pair have met 21 times previously, with the Serb dominating proceedings.

• Novak Djokovic (19-2) Marin Cilic

If he were to notch a 20th career win over Cilic, he’d advance to play either Frances Tiafoe or Yannick Hanfmann in the third round.

One of Andrey Rublev, Yoshihito Nishioka, Flavio Cobolli, and Jaume Munar could then await him in the fourth round before things get a lot tougher from the quarterfinals onwards.

Djokovic would likely meet one of Ben Shelton or Casper Ruud in the quarters, two players who have won a Masters 1000 title more recently than the Serb.

It’s in the semis that Djokovic may struggle the most, against one of Taylor Fritz or Jannik Sinner.

While Djokovic has yet to lose to Fritz in his career so far, he hasn’t had quite the same luck against the Italian world number two.

Djokovic has lost his last five meetings with Sinner and trails the head-to-head 4-6.

Only time will tell if Djokovic can upset the odds and return to another Masters 1000 final in Shanghai, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.

Djokovic will play his first-round match against Cilic on Saturday, October 3.