Novak Đoković, the greatest tennis player of all time, defeated the Belgian Zizou Bergs in the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters with a 2-0 score (6:2, 7:5).
Novak will play in the semi-finals against Valentin Vacherot, the 204th ranked player in the world, who upset Holger Rune in the quarterfinals (2:6, 7:6, 6:4).
This marks Đoković’s tenth semifinal appearance in Shanghai, as well as the 80th Masters semifinal the Serbian player will contest in his career.
Đoković played an exceptionally good match, where his main asset against Bergs was his serve. This was particularly evident in the first set, which saw the absolute dominance of the Serbian player.
“I have to stop idolizing you,” Bergs told Đoković at the net after the match, and this is telling of the level of influence Novak holds among younger players.
In the first set, Novak secured the first break precisely in the sixth game. From a score of 2:2, Novak strung together four consecutive games to take a 1-0 set lead.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC PULLS OFF THE IMPOSSIBLE@DjokerNole #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/MJXtXvtZoO
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 9, 2025
The second set witnessed real drama, especially from the 4:4 scoreline. Up until then, Novak and Bergs had been quite secure on their serve, but then followed a series of breaks.
Novak took the lead at 5:4 and served for the match, but Bergs suddenly appeared out of nowhere to level the score at 5:5. However, what followed was perhaps the best point Novak has played this year.
He returned the Belgian’s smash four times and ultimately managed to win the point. This gave him the 6:5 lead and finally the 7:5 set victory on his own serve.
The spectacular Đoković will have the opportunity to win his 101st career title by the end of the week!
“First of all, Bergs is an exceptional guy, there were some problems in this match. I should have finished the match at 5:4, but I was too passive, the conditions are tough these days, we will try to overcome that. This is the mentally toughest match so far,” Đoković said at the end, before speaking about Vacherot, his next rival:
“This is a big thing for tennis in Monaco. I am happy for him, I know his coach very well, I have spent a certain amount of time in Monaco over the last 15 years. This tournament features the best players in the world, but what he has done from this position is impressive.”
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Source: Nova.rs; Foto: