Novak Djokovic made a winning return to action at the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters on Friday, dispatching Marin Cilic, 7-6 (2), 6-4 in his first match since the US Open last month.
"I think serving performance was great," Djokovic said after the match. "I aced him more than he aced me, which is not very common when you play somebody like Marin. He has got one of the best serves in the world. He was very aggressive. When he feels the ball, he plays so flat, so deep. He's a big guy, and he had clear tactical intention to make me uncomfortable and make me defend, which he did in the first set. I dug myself out of trouble with the serve and some good shots. But, you know, it was a tough match for me, no doubt about it. It's good sometimes to kick start the tournament with such a match."
🖥️📲The Match in 15 Minutes: Novak Djokovic def. Marin Cilic, Shanghai 2R
Djokovic, who is currently ranked fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, improved to 20-2 against the former world No. 3, advancing in one hour and 54 minutes on Stadium Court.
A 24-time Grand Slam champion, Djokovic had not planned to compete at the Masters 1000 tournament in the immediate aftermath of his semifinal defeat to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz, but left the door open when suggesting a newfound motivation to play more tournaments.
“I do fancy my chances a bit more in best-of-three, I guess, one-week tournaments or the Masters tournaments, where you have almost two weeks with quite a few days between matches,” the 38-year-old said, having previously espoused a desire to prioritize Grand Slam tournaments.