The 24-time Major winner Novak Djokovic will compete in China for the first time in five years, entering the Shanghai Masters and seeking the fifth title at one of his favorite events. The greatest player of all time and Lacoste took tennis to the Great Wall of China, with Novak hitting with his lucky Chinese fans on one of the most impressive structures ever built on Earth.
As always in China, the 24-time Major champion enjoyed his time and expressed his sadness about missing the NoleFam members who waited to see him at the Beijing airport on Friday. The veteran will seek his first trophy in China in six years, deciding to travel to Shanghai mainly because of his fans.
Novak has won a single title this season, the most cherished one of his career! The Serb left everyone behind for the eighth time in 2023, lifting three Major titles from four finals. However, he could not repeat that this season, suffering three losses at the most notable events and withdrawing from Roland Garros due to a knee issue.
Novak Djokovic played tennis on the Great Wall of China.
Djokovic underwent surgery in the French capital and started the race against time ahead of Wimbledon and the Olympic Games, his main target of the season.
The veteran survived a couple of challenging obstacles at the All England Club, reaching another Wimbledon final and facing Carlos Alcaraz. The young Spaniard stormed over the seven-time champion, defending the title and keeping Djokovic on 24 Major crowns.
Novak threw everything at the Olympic Games, seeking the elusive gold medal and winning it in style. The Serb defeated Rafael Nadal in the second round and survived a massive knee scare against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-final.
After three losses in Beijing, London and Tokyo, the veteran finally passed the semi-final stage at the Olympic Games. Djokovic arranged the title clash against Carlos Alcaraz and prevailed 7-6, 7-6 after two hours and 50 minutes of titanic tennis, securing the missing 15th notable trophy and completing the game of tennis.
Novak celebrated an emotional title and took a break for a couple of weeks. As was expected, he could not find motivation at the US Open, falling to Alexei Popyrin in the third round and revealing his plan to focus on Majors and Davis Cup for the rest of his career.
Not thinking about the ATP ranking or qualifying for the ATP Finals, Djokovic decided to compete in China for the first time in five years, hoping to ride on the wave of crowd’s support and seek a deep run.
.@DjokerNole playing tennis w his Chinese fans on the Great Wall of China 💚 pic.twitter.com/TLfyErGbl2
— 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚔. A͟O͟¹⁰ (@NoleLondon) September 29, 2024
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