100th title at stake
Djokovic victory makes start in Vienna unlikely
Novak Djokovic reached the semi-finals of the 10.298 million dollar ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai on Friday. The number 4 seeded Serb defeated the 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik 6:7(4),6:1,6:4 in his first quarter-final at this level after 2:17 hours.
In the semi-finals on Saturday, the Olympic champion will now face US Open finalist Taylor Fritz, who eliminated the Belgian David Goffin 6:3,6:4.
This reduces the chances of Djokovic perhaps making a trip to the Erste Bank Open in Vienna after all. The 37-year-old, 24-time major winner now moves up to seventh place in the Race to Turin, with the top eight qualifying for the ATP Finals.
"Fortunately, I served well in the last game. We had a lot of long rallies, it was a tough battle," said a delighted Djokovic, who spoke of a botched tie-break in the first set.
In his first match after Rafael Nadal announced the end of his career, Djokovic, the last of the "big three", also paid tribute to the performance of his former rival. "Even though we knew it would happen sooner rather than later, it was still a shock. Even when Roger (Federer) said it back then or Andy (Murray) this year. It was overwhelming. A big part of me went with them. It's tough news for the sporting world."
It has become less likely that the two-time Vienna winner will be seen in the Stadthalle in just under ten days' time after reaching the semi-finals. Vienna tournament director Herwig Straka still had hopes of bringing the superstar to Vienna. "We'll have to see how far he gets in Shanghai. The earlier he retires, the greater the chance."
The "Djoker" could reach another milestone in Shanghai with two more victories. If he wins his 41st Masters 1000 title, Djokovic will have the 100th title of his career in the bag.
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