"Just lost my balance" - Novak Djokovic fondly revisits hilarious Shanghai Masters moment from a decade ago

Novak Djokovic recently took fans down memory lane, revisiting the hilarious moments from the 2013 Shanghai Masters final, where his grip slipped, and he staggered mid-shot a couple of times. The Serb, currently in Shanghai chasing his first ATP title of the season, is eyeing a record-extending fifth title at the tournament.

At the 2013 Shanghai Masters, the former World No. 1 successfully defended his title by defeating Juan Martín del Potro in the final. After comfortably winning the first set, the momentum shifted in the Argentine’s favor as Djokovic was seen occasionally staggering after hitting shots. His racket kept slipping from his hands, and he made a few net errors before regaining control of the match and eventually winning 6–1, 3–6, 7–6(7–3).

On Tuesday, a tennis news outlet posted a video on Instagram featuring clips from the match. They called it the strangest game of his career and stated that "he lost control of his body". Djokovic was tagged and asked to explain what had happened.

He then hilariously responded by sharing the post on his Instagram story, captioning it saying that he had lost his balance only "a bit," along with a string of laughing emojis.

instagram/Djokernole

Since then, the Serb has gone on to clinch the title twice: in 2015, when he defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final, and in 2018, when he beat Borna Ćorić to secure the title. In this season’s edition, he is the only player in the draw who has won the title more than once.

Novak Djokovic believes Flavio Cobolli’s match against Stan Wawrinka left the Italian fatigued

He will face Roman Safiulin in the fourth round- Source: Getty

Following his 6-1, 6-2 victory over Flavio Cobolli in the third round of the Shanghai Masters, Djokovic stated that the Italian was exhausted after defeating three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in his second-round clash the night before, and it affected his gameplay.

“From the beginning I had a clear game plan of what I needed to do, staying aggressive and trying to use every short ball to take the initiative in the point, Cobolli was evidently exhausted after last night’s match. I think that has taken a toll, physically, on him today.” - the former World No.1 said

Djokovic, who is seeded No. 4, kicked off his 13th campaign at the 2024 Shanghai Masters by defeating 20-year-old Alex Michelsen 7-6(3), 7-6(9) on Saturday (October 5) before setting up his clash against Cobolli.

During the interview, he also added that this season he has played only a few matches and feels fresh, allowing him to play longer.

“I haven’t played too many matches, I think the positive in that is that I’m fresh, so I am happy to play every day as long as it takes.” he added

Djokovic is set to face Roman Safiullin in the fourth round, which will be their third encounter, with the former winning the first two. If he emerges victorious, it will mark his sixth quarterfinal appearance on the ATP tour this season.