Novak Djokovic survived a scare on Sunday to reach the Shanghai Masters round of 32.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion found himself one set down against world number 150 Yannick Hanfmann, but recovered to claim a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory.
Consequently, Djokovic will play Spaniard Jaume Munar in the Shanghai Masters round of 16.
The Serbian star will be hoping to go one step further than he did in 2024: he lost to Jannik Sinner in last year’s final.
Djokovic has a brilliant opportunity to do so, and by defeating Hanfmann, he moved one step closer.
Novak Djokovic has reached 112 rounds of 16 at Masters 1000 events
It becomes a little difficult to keep count when totalling the number of record-breaking or record-equalling moments Novak Djokovic has achieved during his esteemed career.
On Sunday, he equalled another record, one held by his great rival, Rafael Nadal.
As per OptaAce, Novak Djokovic has now reached the round of 16 stage at ATP Masters 1000 events 112 times, equalling Rafael Nadal for the most of any player since the format’s introduction in 1990.
It seems likely that Djokovic will break this record, considering Nadal can no longer extend his total, and the fact that the Serb is still playing at an elite level.
If Djokovic wins his round of 16 match in Shanghai against Munar, he will face either 31st seed Gabriel Diallo or Belgium’s Zizou Bergs.
Djokovic avoided one of his worst Masters 1000 losses
If Novak Djokovic had lost to world number 50 Yannick Hanfmann, the German would have been one of the lowest-ranked players to defeat the Serbian player at a Masters 1000 event.
As per Portuguese journalist Jose Morgado, who was referencing ATP Media Info, Djokovic’s worst loss at the Masters level came at the 2010 Belgrade Open, where he lost to his compatriot and world number 319 Filip Krajinovic.
Djokovic’s second-worst loss came against world number 293 Reilly Opelka at the 2025 Brisbane Open, and his third-worst loss happened all the way back in 2006, against world number 178 Daniel Gimeno Traver at the Barcelona Open.
Djokovic also lost to his compatriot Viktor Troicki, who was ranked 176 at the time, during the 2007 Umag Open.
