"The laundry bills will be quite high" - Novak Djokovic opens up about playing in 'crazy' humidity at Shanghai Masters

Novak Djokovic is currently in action at the 2025 Shanghai Masters. After clinching a win over Marin Cilic for his opening round encounter at the ATP 1000 event, the Serb opened up about dealing with the humid weather in China.

The heat and humidity at the Shanghai Masters have already taken their toll on players. Earlier this week, World No.61 Terence Atmane was forced to retire midway through his first round match due to ‘heat stress’. After his retirement, Atmane admitted that the weather was suffocating and had led to him ‘losing consciousness’.

Most recently, Novak Djokovic opened up about the challenging conditions in Shanghai, saying in a press conference,

“It's crazy humid, to be honest. I don't recall the weather being so humid in China. I don't remember the last time I played in humidity like this. It is what it is, you know, it's the same for me, my opponent, and every other player. You just have to accept it, deal with it. A lot of sweating. The laundry bills will be quite high this week, but that's okay. Hopefully I can keep it going.”

Despite the difficult weather, Djokovic was able to pull through his first round match with ease, clinching a 7-6(2), 6-4 win over Croatia’s Marin Cilic.

Novak Djokovic reflects on his opening round performance at the Shanghai Masters

Djokovic at the 2025 US Open (Image Source: Getty)

For Novak Djokovic, the Shanghai Masters marks his first non-Grand Slam outing in four months. The Serb’s last competitive outing came at the US Open, where he made it to the semifinals before going down to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

On Friday, October 3, Djokovic returned to action and claimed a convincing win over Marin Cilic. Reflecting on his performance, the 38-year-old told media during his post-match press conference,

“I think serving performance was great. I aced him more than he aced me, which is not very common when you play somebody like Marin. 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.”

Up next, Novak Djokovic will take on Germany’s Yannick Hanfman for his second round match at the Shanghai Masters. The duo have played each other once before, with the Serb clinching a dominant win on that occasion.