After shocking SF loss to World No. 204, Novak Djokovic refuses to clear mystery about injury status at Shanghai Masters

Novak Djokovic failed to rise to the occasion during the 2025 Shanghai Masters semifinals on Saturday (October 11), losing in straight sets to qualifier Valentin Vacherot in what was a physically compromised performance. Following the defeat, the Serb sidestepped questions related to his current fitness level.

Playing in his 11th career ATP Masters 1000 semifinal match, the 24-time Major winner began his first-ever encounter against World No. 204 Vacherot in less-than-ideal fashion. The 38-year-old was visibly struggling with his movement in the opening set, and he even asked for a medical time-out in the first few games of the match.

Novak Djokovic subsequently had his lower body massaged by a physio but that wasn't enough to circumvent his fitness issues. With the inspired Monegasque in the form of his life, the four-time Shanghai Masters champion dropped serve twice in the opening set to drop it 3-6. The fourth seed's niggles didn't get better in the second set as he labored through every long rally. Eventually, the 26-year-old qualifier stayed strong to close out a 6-3, 6-4 win over his more experienced opponent.

During his post-match press conference, the World No. 5 was asked by a journalist to comment on his current 'physical condition' that had contributed to his last-four loss in Shanghai. He didn't dignify the question with a proper response, though, casting further doubts about the state of his body going into the last few weeks of the 2025 season.

"Can you talk about your physical condition?" the journalist asked during Novak Djokovic's press conference on Saturday.

"No. Next question, please," the 38-year-old replied curtly to the above question.

While Djokovic wasn't interested in discussing his physical niggles, he made sure to shower rich praise on his victor Valentin Vacherot.

"I want to congratulate Valentin for reaching his first Masters final. Going from qualifications, it's an amazing story. I told him at the net that he's had an amazing tournament, but more so his attitude is very good, and his game was amazing as well," the Serb said.

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Novak Djokovic missed press conference after Shanghai Masters 4R win due to unknown physical issue

Novak Djokovic endured some tough challenges from his opponents earlier this week, competing in back-to-back three-set matches against Jaume Munar and Yannick Hanfmann at the 2025 Shanghai Masters. The eighth ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the year was also notably marred by hot and humid conditions, which made the 24-time Major winner's misery much worse.

Following his Round-of-16 victory against Munar that lasted nearly three hours, the fourth seed skipped his post-match press conference under his "doctor's orders" if a report from SportKlub is to be believed. The Serb also suffered from a torn meniscus in his right knee at the Australian Open in January and a groin injury at Wimbledon a few months ago, marking a physically tough year for him.