Novak Djokovic had a tough match at the start of the ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai

The current Olympic champion Novak Djokovic had a tough match at the start of the ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai. The fourth-seeded Serbian tennis player saved set points and eventually, with two tiebreaks, managed to overcome Alex Michelsen (USA) by 2-0 (7:6(3), 7:6(9)) in the second round.

Novak Djokovic is competing in Shanghai for the first time in five years and was playing only his second match since the US Open. He is chasing a title number 100 of his career, but he definitely had a hard start in the Chinese metropolitan city.

Novak Djokovic started poorly and won just three points in the first three games, although he did break back from a first-set deficit to force a tiebreak. It was his 11th “long game” win out of 15 on the season so far, which is a remarkable stat.

In the second set, the Serbian again fell behind with a break and 1:4 in the score, but saved two set points and subsequently overcame his tough opponent to advance to the third round. Either Stan Wawrinka or Flavio Cobolli will be his opponents there. The program in Shanghai was seriously hampered by today’s rain, which prevented the completion of the matches on the open courts. Only the central one, where Novak Djokovic played, has a retractable roof.