Djokovic big draw for Shanghai

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, pictured here during his US Open loss to Australia’s Alexei Popyrin last month, will compete in the Rolex Shanghai Masters, ending a five-year hiatus from China.

The return of the most successful champion, a group of A-list stars and some promising homegrown talents: this year’s Rolex Shanghai Masters will have more than enough to offer tennis fans in China, as organisers have confirmed a high-calibre men’s squad.

The Rolex Shanghai Masters was already one of the best ATP1000 events in the world, but last year it was upgraded to a 12-day, 96-draw tournament. Now the 2024 event is guaranteed to be even bigger and better.

The field of participants is promising and consists of 17 players who have won at least one Masters. The players compete for 1000 ranking points and a prize pool of 1.1 million dollars in the ultramodern Qizhong Tennis Center in Shanghai, from September 30 to October 13.

World number one and newly crowned US Open champion Jannik Sinner and Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz lead the pack as, reportedly, the most promising title favourites in Shanghai, driven by their great form and a desire to make up for their early exits last year.

However, the return of reigning Olympic champion and 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic is in the spotlight this year, ending a five-year hiatus in China.

Djokovic has won four times in Shanghai, the most of any tournament, and is determined to end his ATP title drought at this year’s penultimate Masters, with the support of his enthusiastic Chinese fans.

“Ni Hao! Here’s Novak. I can’t wait to be back in Shanghai this year to play the Rolex Shanghai Masters. It’s been five years since I last played in China. I miss my Chinese fans. I miss playing on Chinese soil,” the Serbian great said in a video message.

“I have had so much success over the years in Shanghai. Great memories over the years. To all my Nole fans in China, I hope to see you there and let’s all enjoy great tennis at Qizhong Tennis Center in Shanghai.”

The Serb has always been a fan favourite in China, having won the most (34), longest winning streak (13 matches) and highest winning percentage (88.9 percent) in Shanghai, having also won four titles in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018.

“Novak sent a message to all his fans in China to let them know he was back, and the already overloaded ticket line collapsed,” said Michael Luevano, Shanghai tournament director.

“The response to his return has been phenomenal.

“We are so incredibly excited and excited to welcome back the players soon: Jannik, Carlos, Daniil Medvedev, our 2019 champion, and our reigning champion Hubert Hurkacz (from the Czech Republic).

“Last year, Hubi and Andrei Rublev (from Russia) played one of the most extraordinary and compelling finals Asia has ever seen.”

The rapid rise of Chinese talent has made the tournament even more attractive to fans. The country’s top two men, Zhang Zhizhen (No. 48) and Shang Juncheng (No. 66), both qualified for the main draw.

Zhang, born in Shanghai, recently won silver in the mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics, partnering compatriot Wang Xinyu. He is ready to go and hopes for another good performance at the Masters, his home tournament, after finishing eighth last year.

Meanwhile, at 19, Shang is celebrating a breakthrough year of solid progress, including a third round appearance at the US Open that secured his first main draw appearance in Shanghai.

“Tennis is a huge sport in China and with so many national players excelling on the ATP Tour, it has only added to the attention tennis is getting,” Luevano said.

“It’s definitely great to have players like Zhang Zhizhen and Shang Juncheng, who is still a teenager.

“They have great personalities and their tennis is a huge hit with local sports fans.”

Other notable stars in the confirmed squad include American trio Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, who are fresh from a successful home competition in New York, world number 2 Alexander Zverev from Germany, 9th best Norwegian player Casper Ruud and popular Bulgarian veteran Grigor Dimitrov.

There are 27 different countries represented in the entry list. The United States has the most players with eight, followed by France with seven, Italy with six and both Spain and Argentina have five each.

In its first five years, from 2009 to 2013, the tournament was voted ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year by the players.

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