Novak Djokovic raised eyebrows with some of the things he said at a pre-tournament press conference ahead of his 2025 Shanghai Masters campaign. Several tennis fans subsequently slammed the Serb for two particular takes; one about him competing with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and the other about players complaints' about the tennis calendar.The former No. 1 and 24-time Major champion has found it tough to play at his best against Alcaraz and Sinner across recent Slams. Most recently, it was the Spaniard who dashed the Serb's hopes of winning an all-time record 25th Major at the US Open in the semis. Before that, it was the Italian who came out on top against him in the last four of both the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships.Following his US Open exit, Novak Djokovic had even admitted that defeating Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the Slams going forward would be a difficult task for him. At his pre-tournament press conference in Shanghai, the 100-time career singles titlist carried on from where he had left off in New York.According to the Serb, he stands a better chance of competing against the Spaniard and Italian at ATP Masters 1000 events because of their best-of-three-sets format compared to the Majors' best-of-five-sets format."The physicality is logically the biggest factor in best-of-three, rather than best-of-five. But it’s all connected, obviously, with the mental part and the game-wise. If you’re physically not at your hundred percent against these guys, you know, you feel like you’re half a step slower, and that affects the whole game. It affects the whole play, the rallies, and different aspects of the encounter," the 38-year-old said."The Masters events are played over almost two weeks. That’s where I feel I have a better chance, you know, to win a trophy or to make a significant result," he added later.Some fans on X (formerly Twitter) ridiculed the World No. 5 by bringing up his own admission from the recent past about his focus almost exclusively being on the Majors and not on ATP tournaments like the Masters 1000s, 500s and 250s."Djokovic knows he cannot possibly match Sincaraz physically atp. Has been crying about it all year in the PCs and yet he keeps lurking around ATP1000s and GSs like a vulture waiting for that one upset. Pathetic," one fan wrote."He’s repeatedly said he only cares about Grand Slams but here he is hoping to be able to win a M1000 cause he might be able to beat Sinner or Alcaraz in best of 3 😅🤣🤪," commented another."But I thought age decline didn’t exist according to him and his bozo deluded fans?," another fan chimed in.At the same Shanghai Masters press conference, the Serb was also asked about his thoughts on players' complaints about the tennis schedule, particularly about the mandatory tournaments. Here, Djokovic, without naming anyone in particular, said that the 'mandatory rules' are imposed for making players eligible for the ATP Bonus Pool, but it's up to players to decide where they play.The 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist also called out the 'contradiction' shown by players who disapprove of the mandatory tournaments but then sign up to play at exhibition events. He said:"It's an individual sport, so there are choices to be made. In the end of the day you can still make choices. I see some players maybe say there are rules imposed and etcetera. But there are rules imposed for bonus. So you can miss the bonus, but it's the choice that you are willing to make if you want to play less. But then there are exhibitions as well that players are signing up for, so it's a little bit contradictory."Some fans perceived this as the 38-year-old throwing shade at Alcaraz and indirectly at the Laver Cup. The Spaniard has repeatedly criticized the tennis calendar and at the same time has featured at multiple exhibition tournaments, including last year's and this year's editions of the Laver Cup."Djokovic with Laver cup shade? Salty always," opined one."Djokovic indirectly criticising Laver Cup? 🤡 Imagine how salty he’s gonna be when Fedal Tour happens 🤣," added another, referring to a potential future tennis tour backed by the Serb's former rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal collectively."This is incredibly easy for him to say now that he’s taking most of the year off 😭💀💀💀 I’m a massive Novak fan but common, you are not playing a full schedule anymore… you were once young, they’re getting their easy $ at the exhibitions…," weighed in yet another fan.Novak Djokovic got off to winning start at Shanghai Masters 2025; Serb in Jannik Sinner's half of draw at Masters 1000 eventNovak Djokovic in action in the final of the 2024 Shanghai Masters (Source: Getty)Djokovic, the No. 4 seed in Shanghai this year, began his campaign at the Masters 1000 event with a 7-6(2), 6-4 second-round win over Marin Cilic having received a first-round bye. Up next for the 38-year-old at the tournament is Yannick Hanfmann, the German qualifier who shockingly ousted 25th seed Frances Tiafoe in the second round.If Djokovic ends up eventually progressing to the last four in Shanghai, there's a chance that he will lock horns with Jannik Sinner in the semifinal. The Serb is in the Italian's half of the draw, and the two met each other in last year's Shanghai final, which Sinner won.Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning World No. 1, chose to skip the Shanghai Masters this year after his title-winning run at the Japan Open citing physical issues.