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Novak Djokovic is on the brink of a rare milestone at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Aiming to become just the third man to lift 100 tour-level singles titles, the Serbian maintained his perfect Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Taylor Fritz to book his spot in the championship match at the Chinese ATP Masters 1000. Djokovic mixed trademark, gritty defence with spectacular shotmaking from the baseline in Saturday's clash to prevail 6-4, 7-6(6), his 10th straight tour-level victory against Fritz, and set a final showdown with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

“I came to Shanghai after five years of not playing in China, the place where I’ve always had great success, both in Shanghai and Beijing,” said Djokovic, when asked about the prospect of joining Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) in the 100-plus titles club. “[I’ve won] many titles, had great battles and great performances. I’ve said it many times, the support that I get here is tremendous and I’m very grateful.

“That creates an energy that keeps me going, keeps me running, so I did come here definitely with a vision and a desire to get to the final and fight for a 100th title. I get that chance against the best player in the world, and let’s see what happens.”

ONE win away from a century of titles ‼️@DjokerNole wins the epic battle v. Fritz 6-4 7-6 to advance to his 59th ATP Masters 1000 final!@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/PopX6Gqdso

Are Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni rounding into form in time to seal a Nitto ATP Finals spot?

The Argentine pair on Saturday edged Adam Pavlasek and Jean-Julien Rojer 4-6, 7-5. 10-8 to reach the final at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Gonzalez and Molteni’s 99-minute triumph was based on a rock-solid serving performance, and they finished the match having won 83 per cent (40/48) of points behind their first deliveries, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

After arriving in Shanghai having lost seven of their past 12 tour-level matches, Gonzalez and Molteni will now contest their second ATP Masters 1000 final after they lifted the 2023 Cincinnati title. They have so far risen four spots to 10th in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings as a result of their run in China, where they have boosted their hopes of a second Nitto ATP Finals appearance after they made their debut in Turin last year.

Awaiting Gonzalez and Molteni in Sunday’s championship match inside Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena will be Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic. The two teams have split their previous two Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings so far, with Koolhof/Mektic winning in January in Auckland before Gonzalez/Molteni avenged that loss in April in Barcelona.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Jannik Sinner has clinched ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours — becoming the first Italian to do so — following his semi-final win at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

On 10 June, Sinner became the first man or woman from his country to reach World No. 1 in singles since computerised rankings were introduced in 1973. He has not relinquished his place since and will retain it at least through the end of the season.

“It’s amazing. It’s something you dream of when you are a kid, when you are young, just to reach the No. 1. Now having the year-end, it’s also a different and special feeling,” Sinner said. “It means so much to me, obviously. This is something I could not accomplish without all the people I have around — the family and friends and also a big credit to my team.”

? HISTORY MADE! ?

?? Jannik Sinner claims ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF, becoming the first Italian to achieve this historic feat! ?#PIF | #ATPRankings | #partner pic.twitter.com/1nKno7Gs0v

The 23-year-old is the 19th player to claim year-end World No. 1 and just the fourth active player, joining Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.

Can Jannik Sinner convert his 2024 hard-court dominance into another title at the Rolex Shanghai Masters?

The Italian improved to 44-4 for the season on the surface Saturday with a 6-4, 7-5 semi-final triumph against Tomas Machac at the Chinese ATP Masters 1000. Sinner held firm in the face of some huge baseline hitting from his Czech opponent to complete a one-hour, 44-minute victory and advance to his maiden Shanghai championship match.

“I think we all saw how much talent he has, how much firepower he can produce,” said Sinner, when asked if Machac’s quarter-final upset against Carlos Alcaraz had impacted his own preparations for facing the Czech. “I had to be very careful in every service game, because he returns very aggressively and very fast.

“I just tried to stay there every point, to see what was going to happen, like you saw in the last game. Just playing every point with the maximum intensity I could, so I’m very happy about that. I’m happy to be back in a final again.”

By clinching victory, Sinner simultaneously earned a slice of tennis history. His win against Machac ensured he will finish the season with ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours. He is the first Italian to achieve that feat.

After Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from professional tennis at the end of the 2024 season on Thursday, WTA stars Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff shared heartwarming messages for the former World No. 1, who spent 209 weeks atop the PIF ATP Rankings during his career.

Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion who considers Nadal her role model, posted a video on social media, sharing thoughts about her “biggest inspiration” and his impact on her career.

"You were and still are the biggest inspiration that I ever had in tennis. The reason why sometimes I got extra motivated and kept pushing myself,” the four-time Roland Garros champion shared.

Calling it a special day for every tennis fan, Swiatek thanked the 22-time Grand Slam champion for humility and wished him the best as he prepares for the next chapter of his life.

"I hope you're going to enjoy the other part of your life and hopefully maybe some other career, because the sky is the limit for you now. And I hope you are going to spend a lot of time now with your close ones and your family.”

Top 20 American Sebastian Korda has undergone surgery on his right elbow, the 24-year-old posted on Instagram Friday.

No. 19 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Korda has not played since suffering a straight-sets loss to Czech Tomas Machac in the second round of the US Open.

[ATP APP]

Korda posted: "I wanted to update you all — I’ve been dealing with some elbow issues and my team and I decided surgery was the best option. Everything went great, and I can’t wait to be back on court soon. Thanks for all your support!"

The 24-year-old, who won the Washington ATP 500 title in August, is 31-19 on the season according to the Infosys ATP Win-Loss Index.

Roger Federer returned to the Rolex Shanghai Masters for an exhibition doubles match on Friday.

Before stepping on court, the Swiss legend ran into old rival Novak Djokovic as the 99-time tour-level champion walked out of his quarter-final match after battling past #NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik.

“Hey Old Man,” said Federer to the Serb, laughing, as the two shook hands.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion who won the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai twice (2014, 2017), partnered with Eason Chan, a prominent Chinese singer and actor. They defeated the pairing of top Chinese player in the PIF ATP Rankings Zhang Zhizhen, and table tennis champion Fan Zhendong in a light-hearted match. The four treated fans with some great exchanges.

Taylor Fritz has a chance to add more success to his already unforgettable season Saturday in Shanghai.

Playing Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, the No. 7 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will hope to get his first win against the Serb. The former World No.1 holds an overwhelming 9-0 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, in which the American has only won three sets.

“Hopefully one of these times I'm due, because I'm only getting better and better, and I'm excited at the opportunity to play him,” Fritz said.

“We [have] played a lot of times, and I've never gotten him, so I'm really, really just waiting for that. Excited for the chance and waiting for that time when maybe I can get a first win on him."

[ATP APP]

Novak Djokovic mustered up some gutsy tennis Friday night to battle his way past #NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik to book his place in a ninth semi-final at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

However, the scare posed by the 19-year-old, who took the opening set against the record four-time champion, wasn’t the only fright that Djokovic endured in the contest.

“It was a strange feeling [during] those couple of points in that game, but after that it was fine,” said Djokovic, who pulled up holding his left knee in the sixth game of the deciding set. “Hopefully when it cools down I'm not going to have any troubles with it, because I already have troubles with the right knee, so it wouldn't be great. Let's see what tomorrow brings.”

Sealed with an ace ?

The moment @DjokerNole became the third oldest man to reach ATP Masters 1000 semi-final after Federer ?@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/glxPE8KpU9

The 37-year-old underwent successful surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee following his withdrawal from the quarter-finals of Roland Garros in June. Djokovic made a miraculous recovery to make it to the Wimbledon final just three weeks later and has been competing with a soft knee brace ever since.

Novak Djokovic survived a quarter-final scare Friday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters to stay alive in his quest for a 100th tour-level title.

The record four-time champion rallied from a set down to neutralise the threat of #NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik, earning a 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-4 win to advance to the last four in Shanghai for a ninth time. After a sluggish start, Djokovic clicked into gear in a near-flawless second set during which he won 92 per cent (11/12) of points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“We went toe-to-toe until the last moment,” said Djokovic, who advanced to a record 77th Masters 1000 semi-final. “I was fortunate to find great serves in the last game, a couple of aces, that helps. I didn’t serve that well at the end of the first set when I was serving for it. He managed to turn things around by playing a good tie-break.

“I stayed collected and started off very well in the second [set], I felt that we both had a physical crisis at the beginning of the set. We pushed each other a lot, a lot of long rallies. [It was] a tough battle, almost two and a half hours.”

Sealed with an ace ?

The moment @DjokerNole became the third oldest man to reach ATP Masters 1000 semi-final after Federer ?@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/glxPE8KpU9

Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic got through another stern test Friday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters to bolster their chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals.

The pair came through its third championship tie-break of the week unscathed against Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, the duo prevailed 6-7(3), 6-4, 10-6 to book their spot in their fifth final of the season.

Koolhof and Mektic clinched the Nitto ATP Finals trophy in 2020 and, after three years with different partners, have reunited in a bid to emulate that success.

With three titles as a pair in 2024, including the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Koolhof and Mektic have pushed up to seventh in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, leapfrogging Wimbledon champions Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.

However, with ninth-placed Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow trailing them by just 453 points, Koolhof and Mektic will not rest on their laurels heading into the remaining weeks of the year.

Is Taylor Fritz set for a return to the ATP Masters 1000 winners’ circle?

The American on Friday marched into the last four at the Rolex Shanghai Masters with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph against David Goffin. With his 82-minute win, Fritz reached his third hard-court Masters 1000 semi-final, and his first since he lifted his only trophy at that level at the 2022 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

“I feel like sometimes it takes a couple of matches to find my routines, to find what feels good and what is working for me,” said Fritz after reaching his fifth Masters 1000 semi-final overall. “I feel like once I get past the first two rounds, I feel very locked in. I’ve come this far already, so I might as well really dial it in and I’m just enjoying being here.”

Cruising by ?@Taylor_Fritz97 takes out Goffin to reach his 5th ATP Masters 1000 SF ?@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/dsfDu01IFy

Competing in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head clash against Goffin since 2021, Fritz overpowered the Belgian to improve to 49-19 for the season. The 26-year-old’s high-quality groundstrokes off both wings helped him convert three of seven break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and he rarely looked likely to loosen his grip of the quarter-final encounter.

On the 10th anniversary of Roger Federer’s first title in Shanghai, ATPTour.com looks back at his career at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

The former World No. 1 and 103-time tour-level titlist won the ATP Masters 1000 event twice in his illustrious career and finished with a 23-6 record at the tournament in China.

First Appearance In 2010
Federer had competed in Shanghai earlier in his career at the Nitto ATP Finals, then known as the Tennis Masters Cup. But this was his first appearance in the city competing at the Masters 1000 event in the city, which started in 2009.

On his debut in 2010, Federer reached the final without dropping a set and finished runner-up. He defeated Novak Djokovic in the semi-final, before losing 3-6, 2-6 to Andy Murray in the championship match.

Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

World No.4 Coco Gauff will make her United Cup debut for Team USA alongside world No.7 and US Open finalist Taylor Fritz at the innovative mixed team event in 2025.

Twenty-year-old Gauff, who was the flag bearer for the United States at the Olympic Games in Paris, thrives in a team environment.

“This will be my first time playing the United Cup so I’m super excited to kick off the year in Australia,” Gauff said. “It’s always an honour to represent my country.”

“It’s a really, cool event. I had a lot of fun playing mixed doubles at the Olympics so I kinda want to do that again.

“I’ve never been to other parts of Australia, other than Melbourne. I don’t know what city we’re going to play in yet but I’m super excited to go whether it’s Perth or Sydney.”

Rafael Nadal announced his upcoming retirement Thursday, stating that next month’s Davis Cup Finals will be his final event.

“Hello everyone, I am here to let you know I am retiring from professional tennis,” said Nadal in Spanish in a video posted on social media. “The reality is it has been some difficult years, these last two especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations.

“It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make, but in this life, everything has a beginning and an end, and I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.”

The Spanish icon held World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for 209 weeks, sixth-most since the rankings’ inception in 1973. Nadal earned ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours five times.

ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: “Rafa’s impact on tennis is immeasurable. For over two decades, he brought unmatched tenacity and grit to every match. His fierce competitive spirit and iconic rivalries during one of the sport’s greatest eras captivated fans around the world. He elevated the game and inspired millions to pick up a racquet.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have battled fiercely on the tennis court for nearly two decades, yet their rivalry transcends mere competition. There is a deep mutual respect between the two legends, a sentiment Djokovic captured perfectly in a social media tribute to Nadal, who on Thursday announced that he will retire in November.

“One post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport,” Djokovic wrote. “You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis and I think that’s probably the greatest achievement anyone can wish for. Your tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit is going to be taught for decades.”

Rafa, one post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport. You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis and I think that’s probably greatest achievement anyone can wish for. Your tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit… pic.twitter.com/HO9kUkyccN

Both former No. 1s in the PIF ATP Rankings, Djokovic and Nadal have contested countless epic showdowns, often lasting hours and testing the physical limits and mental endurance of both players. Djokovic and Nadal have met a record 60 times, with the Serbian holding a 31-29 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

It is one of the greatest rivalries not only in tennis, but in sports.

Carlos Alcaraz admits to have had no response to the blistering tennis thrown at him Thursday by Tomas Machac, who upset the World No. 2 in the quarter-finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Alcaraz's 12-match winning streak came to an abrupt end in a 7-6(5), 7-5 defeat at the hands of Machac, who claimed his second win over a Top-5 player (Djokovic, Geneva SF). It was a winning streak that included the pair's maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash at the Davis Cup last month, in which Machac was forced to retire at one set apiece.

As he did when representing Czechia, Machac took the opening set in a tie-break in Shanghai, but the 23-year-old made no mistake of closing it out in straight sets, exuding extreme confidence throughout.

Czech this out! ?

Machac downs Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Shanghai, where he will face Sinner!@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/kabm9UMx6U

“I felt like I was playing against a Top-5 player,” said Alcaraz, who suffered his first defeat since his second-round exit at the US Open. “Not even Top 10, no, Top 5. His level was so high. I thought that he was going to give me an opportunity, a window, but he didn't.

Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic earned a key victory Thursday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The duo defeated Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals and halt the Americans' quest of leapfrogging Koolhof and Mektic for eighth in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Race To Turin.

With only eight qualification spots at the Nitto ATP Finals — and three already occupied — Koolhof and Mektic are boosting their Turin chances with a deep run in Shanghai. Should they reach the final, Koolhof and Mektic will move up one place to seventh.

Koolhof and Mektic have won three titles in 2024: Auckland, Rotterdam and Indian Wells. They will next meet Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. The Mexican-French duo beat Ariel Behar and Robert Galloway 6-4, 6-4.

In the top half of the draw, Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni booked their semi-final ticket by overcoming fourth seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-4, 6-4. Eleventh in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Race To Turin, Gonzalez and Molteni next face Adam Pavlasek and Jean-Julien Rojer, who survived wild cards Jamie Murray and John Peers 7-6(2), 4-6, 10-5.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

It is a night Tomas Machac will never forget.

The 23-year-old stunned Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(5), 7-5, and snapped the Spaniard's 12-match winning streak Thursday evening at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Playing his third tour-level quarter-final, he admitted it was not easy against “one of the best” players on Tour. The Czech is happy with the performance it took to claim the biggest win of his career against the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“Well, I was playing this kind of tennis even with Tommy Paul, [in the] second set and the third set, so I was playing unbelievable even there. So, I was just trying to continue in this way, and it happened from the beginning of the match, so that was the key," he shared.

"I know that against Alcaraz I have to play this level to have a chance to win, so I just tried to slow the ball [a little bit]… I managed to make it until the end, so I'm really happy with that."

Even though he failed to win against Alcaraz at the Davis Cup last month after being forced to retire during the match, Machac shook the disappointment and delivered a strong performance today. Nerves did not prove a roadblock for him.

Rafael Nadal has been a role model, an idol and, at times, a rival for Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Never mind all of the accolades Nadal has accomplished in his storied 23-year professional career, Sinner believes the Spaniard’s legacy will stretch beyond lifting — or biting — trophies.

“Of course, we all saw how good he has been as a player and the lessons he taught us, the young players, how to behave on the court, how to handle situations on the court, tough situations,” Sinner, No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, said following his quarter-final victory at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

“He gave all of us a lot of emotions when we saw him playing. And also to stay humble, in the same time, not changing with the success, choosing the right people around him, having a great family. There are so many great things he gave to all of us.”

For Nadal’s countryman Alcaraz, 17 years his junior, the 92-time tour-level titlist has long been a source of inspiration.