Djokovic exits Shanghai Masters in shock loss to Hurkacz

Key Takeaways

Novak Djokovic lost in straight sets to Hubert Hurkacz in his first match at the Shanghai Masters.
The 39-year-old Serbian veteran faltered on a quick surface, admitting he didn’t feel himself on court.
Hurkacz, the 2023 champion, won 6-4, 6-3 and will face either Lorenzo Musetti or Zhou Yi in the third round.

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the Shanghai Masters in his first match, losing in straight sets to Hubert Hurkacz. The match, played on a super-quick surface, saw Djokovic struggle against the younger and more aggressive Hurkacz.

Djokovic, the 39-year-old former world number one, admitted he did not feel himself on the court. 'I didn’t feel myself on the court,' he said after the match. 'It’s a super-quick surface, completely different from Beijing. If you lose your serve, it’s enough to lose a match.'

The match, which lasted one hour and 28 minutes, saw Djokovic break in the fourth game of the second set as he double-faulted, giving Hurkacz a 3-1 lead. The Pole held his serve to secure the victory.

Djokovic was playing three days after winning the title in Beijing, where he has never lost a match on the professional Tour. He hunched over and squatted down between points on a cool evening in Shanghai, while Hurkacz remained composed and focused.

Hurkacz, the 2023 champion in Shanghai, sent down 13 aces across the match. 'It was a challenging match, always,' he said. 'I was pleased with how I performed, how I received in important moments.'

Djokovic’s exit leaves the door open for other players to progress in the tournament. Hurkacz will face either Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti or Chinese wildcard Zhou Yi in the third round.

In other matches, top seed Alexander Zverev survived a scare against Chinese wildcard Wu Yibing, winning 6-4, 7-6(7/4). Zverev, who is on track to end the year at number one, held serve and forced a tie-break, capitalising on a series of errors to win on his second match point.

Earlier, Ben Shelton, the American third seed, turned 24 on the day and beat Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 7-6(8/6). Shelton hinted he may go easy on the celebrations, telling an on-court interviewer: 'I hate cake.'

Frenchman Adrian Mannarino upset sixth-seeded Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, setting up a third-round match.