"It's brutal" - Ailing Novak Djokovic slams unbearable Shanghai Masters conditions after falling extremely sick in 3R win

Novak Djokovic slammed the scorching temperatures at the Shanghai Masters 2025 after his Round of 32 match against Yannick Hanfmann. Notably, the Serb won the match in three sets to advance to the Round of 16 stage of the tournament.

Djokovic struggled in the opening set of the match, losing it 4-6. However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion made a terrific comeback to take the next two sets and sublimely win the match. However, the 38-year-old's valiant fight was not just against Hanfmann but also the excessive heat and high humidity of Shanghai.

Due to these conditions, Djokovic also reportedly threw up during one of the breaks. Speaking about playing conditions in Shanghai, Djokovic called it 'brutal' and also remarked that this posed a greater challenge to him due to his age. He said, via ATP Tour:

"I’ve been saying it before, it’s the same for every player that steps out on the court, but it’s brutal. It’s brutal when you have over 80 per cent humidity day after day for the guys. It’s brutal when you have over 80 per cent humidity day after day for the guys. "Particularly when they are playing during the day with heat, with sun, it’s even more brutal. It is what it is, you just have to deal with it. For me, biologically a bit more challenging to deal with it."

Even though Novak Djokovic had a lot to say about the tough playing conditions of the Shanghai Masters, the Serb was in full praise for the crowd atmosphere around the arena during his match. After his second-round victory over Hanfmann in this round, Djokovic is slated to face Spain's Jaume Munar in the upcoming round of the tournament.

Novak Djokovic admits he struggled during his opening round clash at Shanghai Masters 2025

Novak Djokovic (Image via: Getty)

Novak Djokovic admitted that he struggled immensely during his opening-round clash against Marin Cilic at the Shanghai Masters 2025. The Serb won this match in straight sets, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.

Following his victory, Djokovic said that Cilic pushed him to his limits and gave him little time to relax on the court. The 24-time Grand Slam champion also admitted that Cilic was better than him in the first set. He said, via BBC:

"I did enjoy it, but I also suffered a lot on the court. It was a very close match. He was probably the better player for the first set and he didn't give me time to breathe."

Notably, after his victory against Marin Cilic, too, Novak Djokovic hinted at the scorching humid conditions of the Shanghai Masters.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam