ĐOKOVIĆ STRONGER THAN INJURY AND THE SPANIARD: After the doctor and epic struggles, Nole in the Shanghai quarter-finals! (VIDEO)

The best tennis player of all time, Novak Đoković, qualified for the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters by defeating Jaume Munar from Spain 6:3, 5:7, 6:2.

The doctor had to enter the court several times because of him; he ended up on the concrete and could barely stand on his feet later, but he overcame everything and achieved a very valuable triumph.

However… Concern remains.

The path to the title has indeed cleared, almost all the other main contenders have dropped out of the tournament, but it seems Novak will have more trouble with himself than with his opponents.

After the end of the fourth game, Đoković called the doctor, complaining about his left leg. Massages followed at that moment, and then the game after that. No change could be seen in the game of the Serbian great, but the therapies continued in the second set, and that leaves a bitter taste until it is confirmed that absolutely everything is fine.

Đoković will play against Zizou Bergs from Belgium in the quarter-finals of Shanghai, and this will be their first mutual duel in an official match.

As for the match itself, Đoković broke serve in the fourth game for 3:1. That is when the problems began. However, as stated, it was not visible on the court, at least not in the first set, which he easily brought to an end, preserving the advantage he had gained right there.

The physiotherapist occasionally visited him in the second set, where he had more trouble with Munar himself, who had 0:30 in Novak’s introductory two service games, but the Serb successfully avoided break points and deuces.

What could be noticed was that Đoković often held his left ankle, as well as his calf. How much it affected his game cannot be assessed, because he regularly performed his tasks and stayed away from trouble.

At 3:3 in the second set, he waited for his chance, reached 40:40 with two consecutive points, and then it was felt that Munar could fall into some negative thinking. However, he managed to successfully manage at the net and avoid a deficit that would probably cost him a quick end to the match.

When it comes to returns, there’s only one king: Novak Djokovic. 👏🔥 #ShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/9iT3VKtvWy
— Venkat ⚡️ (@WealthArigato) October 7, 2025

He could have reached a completely new chapter in this encounter from the greatest struggles if he had managed to take advantage of the only break point Novak allowed him at 4:3.

He did create the chance for himself, but then he took it away after a brilliant rally, and after that leveled the score at 4:4.

The situation was seesawing, nothing was regular, and everyone was just waiting for someone to prevail in their favor. For Munar that would be the end, and for Đoković, it would be overtime work that he could not afford.

That is exactly what came true, because at 6:5 for Munar, a set point arrived, which was converted after more than 25 strokes in the exchange. Novak fell onto the concrete; he lay there for a while until the doctor helped him up.

They measured his blood pressure, and then he went out onto the court and decisively won the first game, which was almost lost.

At 40:15, Munar missed something he would not miss in 99.9 percent of cases. That smash took him in the opposite direction entirely, because Nole then reached break point with two returns and waited for an unforced error to gain a huge advantage.

😱 Jaume Munar pushes the match to a decider against an injured Novak Djokovic!

Will the 38-year-old GOAT fight back? 👀🎾 #ShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/jbaYLfuwNL
— Venkat ⚡️ (@WealthArigato) October 7, 2025

Everything was positive in those moments, but the Serb gave the impression of a tired man, someone who wants to shorten everything and end this match as painlessly as possible. Simply put, he could not keep up the exchanges with the Spaniard, who was ready, judging by his body language, to play for another two hours.

Novak had the opportunity to reach 3:0 with two breaks, but he hit the ball poorly and from there the game went downhill, and Munar stayed alive.

It was either Jaume completely getting back into the game or Novak making another break as quickly as possible.

It must be admitted that the Spaniard helped Đoković gather strength with one trip to the locker room and push through his service game for 4:2, and then came the double break of life that provided a large enough distance and the key difference for the final victory.

We will see how much this took out of Novak, but it gave him the quarter-finals and a new step towards the Shanghai title.