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Novak Djokovic returned to competition with a bang as he outlasted old foe Marin Cilic to win 7-6(2) 6-4 at the Shanghai Masters. The 24-time Major winner had not played a match since the US Open, and this is his first appearance at an ATP tournament since May.
Aged 38, Djokovic faced 37-year-old Cilic in what was the oldest combined match in Masters 1000 history. Cilic snapped a four-match losing streak in the opening round of the Shanghai Masters, beating Nikoloz Basilashvili to set up a showdown with a very familiar foe in Djokovic, who received a bye directly into round two.
The Croatian star had struggled for form following a deep run at Wimbledon this summer, but he brought some of his best tennis to Shanghai.
A former world No. 3 and Grand Slam champion, Cilic is always a dangerous opponent, and he proved that against Djokovic. There was nothing separating them in the opening set, but Cilic was the first to create break point opportunities at 5-5.
The No. 4 seed could only smile in disbelief at some of his opponent’s clever shots, but he managed to hold on and pull ahead. Djokovic still couldn’t get a real look at Cilic’s service games, and the world No. 94 reeled off his 11th straight point on serve to force a tiebreak.
But Cilic struggled on serve in the breaker - he won just two points, both of which came on Djokovic’s serve, as the Serbian superstar finally sealed a marathon, 67-minute set 7-6(2) while the likes of Holger Rune and Mamad Medjedovic watched from the crowd.
There were concerns early in the second set when Djokovic started to stretch his body out at 1-1, but the 38-year-old suddenly stepped it up, getting the first break of the match to extend his lead.
Djokovic continued to stretch his legs and back during the changeover and looked frustrated with himself after blowing a small window of opportunity while leading 3-1. Still, he continued to serve himself out of trouble, firing aces down the court.
Stepping up to close out the match at 5-4, Djokovic hadn’t dropped a point on his serve in the entire second set. But he suddenly found himself in trouble, facing two break points.
On his second break point, the No. 4 seed received a time violation, but he didn’t react, and Cilic sent the ball long. Djokovic continued venting towards his team, appearing to tell them to stop talking, and regrouped to book his spot in the third round, sealing the match with one final ace.
The 38-year-old had a warm handshake with Cilic at the net as they laughed and joked together. With the victory, Djokovic extended his dominant lead in his head-to-head with Cilic, and now has 20 wins to just two losses against the Croatian star.
“Tons of respect for Marin and all he has achieved, and who he is as a person. We get along very well off the court, obviously speak the same language, we’ve known each other so many years,” Djokovic said after the match.“We haven’t played for, I think, maybe the last time was three years ago, so great to see him back playing at this level. For me, I did struggle to find my rhythm from the baseline.
“I lacked some matches, obviously, US Open was the last one, so I got a really tough opening match here against Marin, who, when he’s feeling the ball, he can be so dangerous, he can beat anybody. He was so aggressive, playing deep in the court, and didn’t give me time to breathe. I think I dug myself out of trouble with some good serving today which obviously makes me happy knowing I served well.”
The former world No. 1 will now face German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann, who came back from a set down to upset No. 25 seed Frances Tiafoe 6-7(9) 6-2 6-1.