Djokovic on Federer as spectator: 'I'm not used to seeing you in the stands'

As Jannik Sinner claimed his seventh title of the season over Novak Djokovic at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, there were some familiar faces in the stands.

Roger Federer, the two-time Shanghai titlist (2014 & 2017), was among those in attendance to witness the World No. 1 delay Djokovic’s quest to join the Swiss great in surpassing 100 tour-level titles.

“It’s nice to see Roger, I’m not used to seeing you in the stands,” said Djokovic, who fell to a 7-6(4), 6-3 defeat to Sinner in the championship match. “I wish you were here on the court playing with us, but it’s probably the first time I’m playing in front of you, so I had added pressure today.”

"I wish you were here on the court playing with us..."@DjokerNole is all of us ?@rogerfederer | @SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/JLHzdehcj8

Sinner continued his emphatic run on hard courts this season, improving to 8-2 vs. Top-5 players on the surface with his dominant display over record four-time champion Djokovic. The 23-year-old’s only two defeats came in Indian Wells and Beijing against fierce rival Carlos Alcaraz.

The Spaniard, alongside coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, was also present inside Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena as Sinner claimed his Tour-leading seventh title of 2024 and levelled his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Djokovic at 4-4.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]