Liam Broady pointed out a struggle with Novak Djokovic that he hasn’t seen him have to deal with before in his career.
Djokovic returned to tennis at the Shanghai Masters, a tournament he’s previously won four times in his career.
The Serbian has played the tournament several times over the years, most recently losing the final to Jannik Sinner at last year’s event.
During the match, Sky Sports commentator and former tennis pro Liam Broady noticed a problem with Djokovic that’s never been seen before.
Liam Broady points out strange Novak Djokovic grip issues in Shanghai
Djokovic looked uncomfortable with his grip from the outset of his Shanghai Masters tie against his old foe.
The star even asked umpire James Keothavong for some sawdust to combat his grip issues, which stunned Broady on commentary.
“I’ve never really seen Novak struggle with his grip this consistently,” said Broady during the first set between Djokovic and Cilic.
“It’s serious enough to be piling sawdust in his ball pocket. It’s a very old school trick isn’t it?,” said the British star.
“Looks like the irritation is starting to creep into his game a little bit there,” he added. “He looks a bit unsettled.”
The Serb looked to deal with the issue once he asked for the sawdust from the umpire.
Novak Djokovic and Marin Cilic make ATP 1000 history
Djokovic and Cilic’s storied rivalry added yet another chapter at the Shanghai Masters and the pair made history on the ATP Tour.
The two Grand Slam champions’ second round match became the oldest ATP Masters 1000 main draw match in history.
The pair’s combined age of 75 years and 139 days is officially the oldest combined age of any match since the introduction of the format in 1990.
The Shanghai Masters clash with the duo’s 22nd match on the ATP Tour, with Cilic winning just twice against the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
