Shanghai Masters 2024 Draw: Novak Djokovic's projected path to the final ft. potential R4 showdown with Frances Tiafoe, and SF with Alexander Zverev
Novak Djokovic is gearing up for his first appearance at the Shanghai Masters since 2019. Asia's only Masters 1000 tournament will take place from October 2-13. He is a four-time champion at the venue and hoisted the winner's trophy in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018.
Aside from a fifth title in Shanghai, Djokovic is also vying to capture his milestone 100th career title. His only triumph this season has been at the Paris Olympics, where he finally claimed the much-coveted gold medal.
The Serb recently bowed out in the third round of the US Open, and this will be his first appearance since then. He has received a bye into the second round, and here's how the rest of the draw could unfold at the Shanghai Masters:
R2 opponent - Alex Michelsen/Bu Yunchaokete
Michelsen is a rising young prospect from the US. He recently reached the quarterfinals of the Japan Open with a comeback win over Stefanos Tsitsipas. Bu has been in great form over the last couple of weeks as well.
He was a semifinalist at last week's Hangzhou Open and defeated Karen Khachanov en route to the last four. He's currently a quarterfinalist at the China Open and beat the in-form Lorenzo Musetti in the second round. Both players could give Djokovic a tough time, though he should be able to fend off a challenge from them.
Possible R3 opponent - Stan Wawrinka/Flavio Cobolli
Wawrinka has a 5-13 record this year, and none of those five wins have come on hard courts. Though if he does manage to reach the third round, a tussle between him and the Serb would be a treat to witness.
Cobolli is likely to be Djokovic's opponent at this stage. The young Italian has made a lot of progress this year, though with a 0-6 career record against top 10 players, he will be the underdog against the 24-time Major champion.
Possible R4 opponent - Frances Tiafoe
After a mostly underwhelming season, Tiafoe had a resurgence over the past month. He reached his first Masters 1000 final at the Cincinnati Open, and lost to Jannik Sinner. He later made the semifinals of the US Open for the second time in three years and went down to Taylor Fritz in five sets.
Tiafoe's momentum came to a halt at the Japan Open, where he was ousted by Brandon Nakashima in the first round. Djokovic has won both of his matches against Tiafoe and will start as the favorite once again.
Possible QF opponent - Grigor Dimitrov/Andrey Rublev
Dimitrov has been one of the season's most consistent performers and has a 38-14 record thus far. However, Djokovic leads him 12-1 in the head-to-head, with 10 consecutive wins over him. He won their most recent encounter in the final of last year's Paris Masters in straight sets.
Rublev won the Madrid Open and reached the final of the Canadian Open as well. However, even he has a losing record against the Serb and trails him 1-5 in the rivalry. His only win also came on clay and has lost three of their four hardcourts matches in straight sets. This seems another winnable round for the former World No. 1.
Possible SF opponent - Alexander Zverev/Taylor Fritz
With a 57-18 record for the season, Zverev has been one of the most in-form players this year. However, he has only one title to his name despite his string of wins. He won the Italian Open and finished as the runner-up at the French Open and the Hamburg European Open.
While Djokovic leads Zverev 8-4 in the head-to-head, it narrows down to 5-4 after excluding their Grand Slam matches. The German is quite competitive when it comes to best-of-three duels and could offer his older rival a challenge here.
However, Zverev will first have to deal with Fritz in a potential quarterfinal bout. The latter has beaten the former in their last three matches. Djokovic will also prefer to deal with the American at this stage, given his 9-0 winning record against him.
Possible Final opponent - Jannik Sinner/Carlos Alcaraz
Sinner, with two Major titles and two Masters titles to his name, has been the best player on tour this year. He has an impressive 57-5 record this season and will take on Jiri Lehecka for a spot in the China Open semifinals on Monday (September 30).
While Djokovic has a slim 4-3 advantage in their head-to-head, Sinner has won three of their last four matches, including at this year's Australian Open. Should they meet again, the Italian will be favored to win.
The Serb took the lead in his rivalry with Alcaraz after beating him in the final of the Paris Olympics to claim the gold medal. He now leads him 4-3, though he did lose to him in the Wimbledon final this year as well.
Alcaraz is yet to beat Djokovic on hardcourts, so the latter will be the favorite to win the title if they meet in the final. Should the two youngsters falter early on, then Daniil Medvedev, Tommy Paul, and Ben Shelton are some of the other potential candidates who could await him in the summit clash.