'Just trying to stay alive' – Djokovic reaches semis
Novak Djokovic says he is “just trying to stay alive” after reaching his 80th Masters semi-finals in gruelling conditions in China.
Novak Djokovic says he is “just trying to stay alive” after reaching his 80th Masters semi-finals in gruelling conditions in China.
Wheelchair tennis star Abbie Breakwell reflects on a remarkable year that has seen her world ranking soar from a career low to new heights.
Novak Djokovic has not had it easy at the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters, but the Serbian remains on course for a record-extending fifth title at the ATP Masters 1000.
The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Thursday overcame Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-4 to book his semi-final spot in China. With his victory, the 38-year-old Serbian became the oldest semi-finalist in Masters 1000 history.
Djokovic, who battled through a leg issue and exhaustion in the Shanghai heat during his fourth-round win against Jaume Munar, again struggled physically during the opening set against Bergs. Yet he shook off what appeared to be a problem with his left foot to advance to reach the last four at a Masters 1000 event for a record-extending 80th time.
Djokovic initially served for the match after breaking Bergs’ serve for 5-4 in the second set, but a spirited Bergs immediately drew level with a high-quality return game. In the next game, Djokovic repelled four Bergs overheads and a swinging volley to prevail in one of the points of the tournament en route to breaking serve again, and this time the 100-time tour-level titlist made no mistake in closing out his win.
THE GREAT WALL OF NOVAK DJOKOVIC 🙅♂️@DjokerNole | @SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/FOVpc7wUK6
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 9, 2025
“I was just trying to stay alive to be honest on the court,” reflected Djokovic after his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with the 26-year-old Bergs. “My first encounter with Bergs. He’s a great guy. Obviously, a lot of firepower in his game. At times I just tried to play an extra ball in the court and make him miss the ball, and that’s what happened. I should have closed out the match at 5-4. He played a good game, again I was a little bit too passive.
“Very challenging conditions these days for all the players, and I was just trying to stay alive on the court. I’m glad to overcome this hurdle.”
Djokovic is now two wins away from a record-extending 41st Masters 1000 crown, and his first since the 2023 Rolex Paris Masters. Standing between him and a spot in the Shanghai championship match is Valentin Vacherot, after the Monegasque qualifier earlier upset 10th seed Holger Rune 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Valentin Vacherot added another memorable moment to his 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters odyssey on Thursday afternoon. The Monegasque qualifier outlasted 10th seed Holger Rune for a stunning 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 quarter-final victory at the Chinese ATP Masters 1000.
Despite a difficult start, the World No. 204 Vacherot stuck with Rune in the second set before powering past the physically ailing Dane in the decider to become the second lowest-ranked semi-finalist in Masters 1000 history (since 1990). With his two-hour, 59-minute victory, the 26-year-old Vacherot simultaneously ensured he will on Monday crack the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time. He is up 112 spots to No. 92 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
Remember the name 🌟
World No. 204 @val_vacherot defeats Rune to reach the @SH_RolexMasters final four.#RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/oTVxHiaNpM
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 9, 2025
“I didn’t come as a qualifier, I came as an alternate. I wasn’t even sure I was going to play qualifying,” said Vacherot. “This is just unbelievable. The last win meant already so much to me. This one means even more.
“It was tough not to think about it on match point, also breaking the Top 100. I know this is just a step, but I tried not to look at the rankings for this whole tournament. I had read that if I won, I would break the Top 100, but this is just unbelievable for me. I cannot wait for [the semi-final]. I’m just so happy and living the dream.”
Vacherot held a physical edge over Rune in the deciding set, during which the World No. 11 twice called for the trainer to massage his right upper leg. Although the Dane continued to go for his shots, Vacherot held his nerve to save two break points in the 10th game before converting his second match point for the biggest win of his career.
Vacherot has come back from a set down in five of his seven matches in Shanghai so far (including two in qualifying). He will next bid to reach his first tour-level final when he takes on record four-time champion Novak Djokovic or Zizou Bergs in the last four.
“First set, physically I was really shocked. That was a step above [what I am used to],” said Vacherot. “I already thought Tallon [Griekspoor, in the fourth round], tennis-wise was playing really good. I was already shocked about that. Sascha Bublik, we know how he plays. You could expect any shot at any second. That’s why he’s so good.
“But today I was shocked by how [Rune] was defending. Points that I would win against 90 per cent of the guys, for him it was just a random ball. I felt like I was coming in and would have an easy volley. So the first set was pretty physical. My lungs were screaming a little bit, but that helped me a lot for the second set, because I just went off to change and it helped me to play a little bit more free.”
Already the first Monegasque quarter-finalist in Masters 1000 history, Vacherot extended his run by converting two of four break points he earned in the match against Rune, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He is the second qualifier to reach a Masters 1000 semi-final in 2025, after Terence Atmane also made that stage in August in Cincinnati.
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Could Novak Djokovic further rewrite the history books at the Rolex Shanghai Masters?
The Serbian owns the ATP Masters 1000 records for most titles (40), finals (60) and semi-finals (79) according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and he has an opportunity to extend each of those marks this week in China, where he is into the quarter-finals.
Djokovic already has the most titles in tournament history with four and is three victories from lifting a record-extending fifth trophy. It would be his first Masters 1000 triumph since the 2023 Rolex Paris Masters.
This is not the only Masters 1000 event where he has earned more crowns than any other player, though. In fact, he is the record-holder for most titles at more events in the series than anyone else.
The former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings holds the record for most trophies — or is tied for the most — at four of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments currently on the ATP Tour calendar. He is tied for the top mark at Indian Wells (5, with Roger Federer) and Miami (6, with Andre Agassi), while standing alone in Shanghai and Paris.
| Tournament | Record-Holder (Titles) |
| Indian Wells | Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer (5) |
| Miami | Andre Agassi and Novak Djokovic (6) |
| Monte-Carlo | Rafael Nadal (11) |
| Madrid | Rafael Nadal (5) |
| Rome | Rafael Nadal (10) |
| Canada | Ivan Lendl (6) |
| Cincinnati | Roger Federer (7) |
| Shanghai | Novak Djokovic (4) |
| Paris | Novak Djokovic (7) |
Members of the ATP No. 1 Club have dominated the winner’s circle at Masters 1000 events. The player with the most crowns at each of the nine tournaments has climbed to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings in his career.
Rafael Nadal has claimed the most crowns at the three clay-court Masters 1000 tournaments, in Monte-Carlo (11), Madrid (5) and Rome (10), Ivan Lendl has won Canada six times and Federer emerged victorious seven times in Cincinnati.
But nobody has matched Djokovic’s success at the level. The Serbian’s number of Masters 1000 trophies is double the tally for all but two players in series history (since 1990): Nadal (36) and Federer (28).
The 38-year-old Djokovic, now the oldest Masters 1000 quarter-finalist in series history following his success so far in Shanghai, will try to extend his run on Thursday when he plays Zizou Bergs for a place in the semi-finals.
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Daniil Medvedev dug deep to avoid a repeat disappointment against Learner Tien on the hard courts of China with a dramatic Wednesday-night win at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
The 29-year-old recovered from a bout of cramp late in the second set to overcome #NextGenATP American Tien 7-6(6), 6-7(1), 6-4 in an engrossing encounter at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Just eight days after Medvedev was forced to retire from the deciding set of the pair’s semi-final in Beijing due to cramp, the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings was this time able to ward off his physical struggles and rouse a late charge to victory.
Meddy’s Moment! 👏@DaniilMedwed outlasts Tien (7-6 6-7 6-4) in an EPIC encounter to advance into the Shanghai quarter-finals@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasterspic.twitter.com/Ah3jbLrNUs
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 8, 2025
“I think the toughest part was that we played two times [before], and in my opinion he is an unbelievable player, because he doesn’t have a great serve and serve is so important in tennis,” said Medvedev. “Without the serve, he is 19 years old and 30-something in the world and only going up. In my opinion he is such a good tennis player.
“He feels the game so well. There are so many guys right now that just hit strong with every ball they have, and they have an amazing serve which allows them to stay in the tennis match. He doesn’t have it, and he manages to play so good without it. For me to beat him… I thought I was going to lose. I was cramping again and I’m just super happy to manage to do it.”
In a topsy-turvy two-hour, 53-minute encounter, Medvedev failed to serve out the first set at 5-4 before prevailing in a tie-break, and then carved out a 3-0 lead in the second. Yet Tien roared back and won the second set in a tie-break during which Medvedev was nearly completely immobilised due to the cramps in his right leg.
The 2019 Shanghai champion Medvedev appeared out of contention at that point, but his body loosened after the changeover between sets and he produced some typically robust tennis into the decider. Despite regularly chuntering to himself in a frustrated fashion throughout, Medvedev decisively broke serve in the ninth game before serving out to earn his first victory in three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings with the 19-year-old Tien.
All three of Medvedev and Tien’s meetings have proven dramatic. At the Australian Open, Tien prevailed in a five-set thriller that ended just before 3 a.m. local time, while the pair’s Beijing and Shanghai clashes have been dominated by Medvedev’s battles with his body.
Now into his third Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season (Indian Wells, Madrid), Medvedev will next face seventh seed Alex de Minaur, who earlier defeated Nuno Borges 7-5, 6-2 to book his spot in the last eight.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Felix Auger-Aliassime produced a clinical display in a high-stakes fourth-round showdown Wednesday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
The 12th seed eased past Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals at the Chinese ATP Masters 1000 event. Auger-Aliassime converted three of six points he earned in his 85-minute victory inside Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, where he will on Friday take on Arthur Rinderknech in the last eight.
Another chapter written 📚📷@felixtennis becomes the first Canadian to reach the final eight in Shanghai, a 60th career quarter-final for Felix@SH_RolexMasters
| #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/4jeZGJ7vbQ— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 8, 2025
[That was] ’inspired Felix’ I guess,” said Auger-Aliassime, when asked to describe his performance. “I felt like I was playing fast, but I was seeing the game slow. It’s weird when you get these kinds of nights.
“I’ve been trying to work my way there obviously for a while now, working on this type of game plan, but to execute it live on a match court at this stage against an opponent like this is a different story to practice. I’m very pleased, because to play like this means things are coming along nicely.”
Wednesday’s encounter between eighth seed Musetti and Auger-Aliassime held big implications in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, with the eighth-placed Musetti having the opportunity to widen the gap between himself and 10th-placed Auger-Aliassime. Yet by sinking Musetti for his fifth win against a Top 10 opponent in 2025, the 10th-placed Auger-Aliassime has moved to within 530 points of his rival as both players vie for a Nitto ATP Finals spot.
Prior to Shanghai, Auger-Aliassime reached the Cincinnati quarter-finals and the US Open semi-finals. The Canadian brought similar form to his clash in China with Musetti, in which he fired 24 winners, including seven aces, to his opponent’s 11.
The 25-year-old also saved all three break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and he has now held in 28 of 29 service games across his three matches in Shanghai so far. After avenging his defeats in his two previous meetings with Musetti (Paris 2024 Olympics, Miami 2025), Auger-Aliassime has levelled the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 4-4.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]The family WhatsApp group for Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot has been busy during the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Frenchman Rinderknech and Vacherot of Monaco are cousins and are both into the quarter-finals at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the first time.
On Wednesday, Rinderknech defeated his third seeded opponent in the tournament, taking out Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 7-5, joining his cousin in the quarter-finals. Vacherot beat Tallon Griekspoor in three sets on Tuesday night.
“Our family WhatsApp group is buzzing a lot the past few days,” said Rinderknech, who signed the courtside camera lens ‘I follow you Val’ with a heart emoji after his latest win. “I can’t complain, it’s great and it’s reuniting the family together, at least online, having some fun. Everybody’s watching each other. So it’s really cool.”
Vacherot’s coach is half-brother Benjamin Balleret, who also played on the ATP Tour and reached a career-high No. 204 in the PIF ATP Rankings in June 2006. Balleret says there’s a lot of excitement from both families back home.
“There are 20, 25 people in the WhatsApp group,” said Balleret. “Everybody loves tennis and the mother of Arthur played tennis. My mother played, our mother with Val was a tennis coach. Everybody loves tennis and follows and they supported me when I was playing, now [it is the same] for Val and Arthur. It is basically almost all now only about tennis and where the next holidays will be and how it will be.”
Rinderknech is 6-3 vs. Top 20 opponents since June, after going 0-16 from the start of the 2023 season up until June. He defeated 28th seed Alex Michelsen in the second round and third seed Alexander Zverev in the third round. It’s the first time Rinderknech has registered multiple Top 20 wins in a tournament in his career.
“My serve was good today and I am really glad,” said Rinderknech, who will improve from No. 54 to No. 43 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, just one spot from his career-high of No. 42 on October 31, 2022. “I knew it was going to be important against a player like Jiri, because he’s really good on serve as well. So the serve was going to be really important. I came out a bit on fire today and it was a good match and being able to close in two sets, that was important and really happy about it.”
World No. 204 Vacherot qualified and he is the first player from Monaco to advance to an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final and the lowest-ranked quarter-finalist in tournament history (since 2009). He’s also only the third qualifier to reach the quarter-finals in Shanghai, joining Matthew Ebden (2011) and Mischa Zverev (2016).
“He’s playing good tennis this week and has been playing great tennis for few years now,” Rinderknech said on Vacherot. “He just battled a few injuries, but whenever he’s playing he’s always doing great, so just a matter of time for him. I’m really happy and glad that he’s showing his best tennis this week. I hope and I think that’s only the beginning for him.”
Vacherot, who plays 10th seed Holger Rune on Thursday, reached a career-high No. 110 in June last year but a right shoulder injury sidelined him for the second half of last year.
“He couldn’t serve or hit a forehand,” said Balleret. “We were almost scared at some point that he couldn’t play tennis for even two years or something. We tried many things and he actually tried to play at the US Open qualies but he played one match, and in the second match he retired in the second set. So it was a tough moment.”
The 26-year-old Monaco native is playing in only his second tour-level event of the season after reaching the second round on home soil at the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters in April. That was also his first career main draw in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament. He is 22-16 on the ATP Challenger Tour with his best result a runner-up in Francavilla al Mare, Italy in May.
Vacherot has jumped from No. 204 to No. 130 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and with a win against Rune, he will join his cousin in the Top 100 for the first time at No. 92.
“I don’t think I could realise what I was doing this whole week, and it kind of all just hit me when I just won that match,” said Vacherot after his fourth round win. “Generally I was happy this whole week, but not like through the roof. This one is unbelievable, so much emotions. Just thinking of the tough times I had last year, even this year, and just to share that with my coach, brother, and my girlfriend, it’s just unbelievable. I’m having one of the best times of my life.”
Rinderknech and Vacherot were college teammates at Texas A&M University for two and a half years in 2016-17 and the first half of 2018. They were also doubles partners on occasion.
“I recruited him to College Station,” said Rinderknech. “I was there two years ahead of him, and we had two and a half years I think in common. It was a great time together and we spent so many days doing many things and having a lot of fun, so it was really cool to be together in the same team and same place for a few years.”
Now the former college teammates will be watching each other in Shanghai along with their families back home.
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