Novak Djokovic played gutsy tennis on Friday night, defeating #NextGenATP youngster Jakub Mensik to advance to the Rolex Shanghai Masters’ ninth semi-final.
However, the 19-year-old’s scare, which came in the first set against the record four-time champion, was not the only one Djokovic faced throughout the match.
“It was a strange feeling [during] those couple of points in that game, but after that it was fine,” said Djokovic, who pulled up gripping his left knee in the sixth game of the final set. “Hopefully, after it cools off, I won’t have any problems with it; I already have problems with my right knee, so it wouldn’t be ideal. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.”
The 37-year-old underwent successful surgery to repair a meniscus rupture in his right knee after withdrawing from the Roland Garros quarterfinals in June. Djokovic miraculously recovered to reach the Wimbledon final only three weeks later, and he has been competing with a soft knee brace ever since.
“China has always been a happy place, a place where I really played my best tennis throughout my career,” said Djokovic, who is aiming for a record-extending fifth championship in Shanghai. “These types of matches, against youngsters, are what truly inspires me, keeps me going, and forces me to dig deep. To demonstrate to the world that I still have it in my legs and can go the distance with the young men.”
After defeating two promising #NextGenATP prospects, Alex Michelsen (7-6(3), 7-6(9)) and Mensik, Djokovic will play seventh seed Taylor Fritz on Saturday for a position in the title match. Now in his 77th ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, the No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings believes the American will represent a similar danger to what he has already faced this week in Shanghai.
“I was challenged by [Alex] Michelsen in the first round, and now I’m playing tough matches against big servers,” said Djokovic, who defeated Mensik 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-4. “I’m going to face a major server opponent tomorrow, Fritz, so I need to be prepared for another difficult, close encounter.
“[It is] fast conditions, and if you serve effectively, you have a significant edge. Hopefully, I’ll be fresh, and we’re down to the last four players in the tournament’s final few matches. Now is the moment for me to really strive to push it up even further, and perhaps I’ll have a chance to compete in the finals.”
After defeating Fritz in four sets in this year’s Australian Open quarterfinal, Djokovic moved to 9-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, but he will not rest on his laurels after seeing the explosive 26-year-old reach his first Grand Slam final at last month’s US Open.
