Djokovic overcomes difficulties to defeat Hanfmann, advances at Shanghai Masters

(Dan Tri) - Novak Djokovic had a challenging match at the Shanghai Masters on the evening of October 5, he tried to overcome his German opponent Yannick Hanfmann with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Djokovic had a tough match against Hanfmann. However, he fought back late in the match, drawing energy from the crowd to continue his title pursuit. With a 2 hour 45 minute victory – his second longest three-set match of 2025 – Djokovic set up a fourth-round meeting with Spain's Jaume Munar.

“Every player has the same situation on the court, but it is tough when the humidity is over 80% day after day, especially for players who play during the day in the hot sun, the weather is tougher. Biologically it is a little bit more difficult to deal with it. But today I really overcame it. Yannick played a great match from the start,” Djokovic said of the conditions in Shanghai.

Djokovic had to play for nearly 3 hours in the match in the 3rd round of Shanghai Masters (Photo: Getty).

After succumbing to Hanfmann's explosive serve and variety in the first set, with the German scoring four aces in a row, Djokovic faced new challenges in the second. The 38-year-old appeared to vomit during a change of serve and began to shorten points in an attempt to regain control.

Hanfmann, ranked 150th in the ATP rankings, was aiming to become the lowest-ranked player to beat Djokovic at an ATP Masters 1000. Despite his powerful shots, which included 33 winners, including 13 aces, he was unable to stop Djokovic once the Serb found his rhythm.

Djokovic's decisive point to level the match at 1-1 electrified the Shanghai crowd and marked a decisive turning point. The fourth seed broke early in the third set and won the match, taking a 2-0 lead in the series against Hanfmann.

“It was amazing to play in front of such a great crowd. It was only the first few matches of the tournament and the stadium was packed. It is one of the most beautiful and biggest stadiums we have in sport . Honestly, everything was amazing, I couldn’t have asked for more. I fought for almost three hours in the third round of a Masters at the age of 38, with the whole stadium cheering my name. It was a dream come true, so I am very grateful,” Djkovic added.

Djokovic has asserted his dominance to reach the round of 16 in Shanghai for the 11th time in as many appearances. He leads 1-0 in the head-to-head series going into his fourth-round match against Munar. The Spaniard overcame Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 in the third round to reach the fourth round of an ATP Masters 1000 event on hard courts for the first time.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/djokovic-vuot-kho-ha-hanfmann-tien-buoc-o-thuong-hai-masters-20251005222013642.htm