Djokovic beats Fritz, faces Sinner for the championship match in Shanghai

Novak Djokovic, despite suffering from knee pain, Novak Djokovic managed to beat Taylor Fritz to reach the final at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Saturday.

Djokovic prevailed 6-4, 7-6(6) in his 10th straight tour-level victory against Taylor Fritz, and set a final showdown with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

“I came to Shanghai after five years of not playing in China, the place where I’ve always had great success, both in Shanghai and Beijing,” said Djokovic, when asked about the prospect of joining Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) in the 100-plus titles club. “[I’ve won] many titles, had great battles and great performances. I’ve said it many times, the support that I get here is tremendous and I’m very grateful.

“That creates an energy that keeps me going, keeps me running, so I did come here definitely with a vision and a desire to get to the final and fight for a 100th title. I get that chance against the best player in the world, and let’s see what happens.”

With his one-hour, 56-minute win against Fritz, the record 40-time Masters 1000 titlist Djokovic advanced to his record-extending 59th final at that level, and his first of the 2024 season.

Novak Djokovic is now a win away from clinching 100th career singles title.

Standing between Djokovic and a record-extending fifth title in Shanghai is World No. 1 Sinner, who earlier defeated Tomas Machac 6-4, 7-5. Djokovic leads the Italian 4-3 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, although Sinner has won the pair’s two most recent meetings at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals and the 2024 Australian Open.

Djokovic’s latest victory in Shanghai was another boost to his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals for the 17th time. The 37-year-old rose above Casper Ruud into sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin by defeating Fritz on Saturday evening.