FORMER world number one Novak Djokovic is in an unusual spot heading into mid-October, having not won an ATP Tour title in 2024 to-date, but is now one victory away from achieving that feat in Shanghai. The ATP 1000 Masters final will see Djokovic – who did breakthrough for Olympic gold – take on the current world number one Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic made it a perfect 10-0 record against semi-finals opponent Taylor Fritz, with the American having only won three sets across 10 matches, and going down 6-4 7-6 in the Shanghai penultimate round overnight.

The Serbian needed an hour and 56 minutes to get the job done, winning 78 and 62 per cent of his first and second serve points, while running at a 70 per cent clop. Fritz on the other hand won 71 and 54 per cent, but had a far lower first serve efficiency of 58 per cent.

In the end, just one break of serve took place – in the first set – with Djokovic converting one of nine chances, while saving the two that he faced. It meant he was able to return to another final, where if successful, wound mean the 24-time Grand Slam winner joins another exclusive club – the 100-title club.

“I came to Shanghai after five years of not playing in China, the place where I’ve always had great success, both in Shanghai and Beijing,” Djokovic said post-match.

“[I’ve won] many titles, had great battles and great performances. I’ve said it many times, the support that I get here is tremendous and I’m very grateful.

“That creates an energy that keeps me going, keeps me running, so I did come here definitely with a vision and a desire to get to the final and fight for a 100th title. I get that chance against the best player in the world, and let’s see what happens.”

Djokovic would join Jimmy Connors (110) and Roger Federer (103) in that exclusive club, and admitted his knee had been giving him some grief since his victory over Jakub Mensik the day before.

“It always takes it out of me, these kinds of battles, but particularly towards the end of the tournament,” Djokovic said. “At this stage of my career, I’m doing my best to recover and I had some issues here and there on the court, physically, yesterday and today.

“But I managed to overcome it. It was a stern test. Taylor is in form, playing probably the best tennis of his life coming off a Grand Slam final, and he’s playing really well, particularly on this surface.

“He’s serving big, so I knew it was going to be a big test for me. I did not want to get to a third set, and I’m just glad to overcome in two.”

Meanwhile in the other Shanghai semi-final, Sinner took care of Czech Tomas Machac in an equally tight two-setter, getting up 6-4 7-5. Machac had denied fans a chance for another Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz rematch, and the Italian was able to win in an hour and 43 minutes to face Djokovic.

Sinner served 10 aces to five and won 74 and 61 per cent of his first and second serve points, while Machac was still solid with a 64 and 50 per cent success rate alongside five aces. The world number one broke three times from seven chances, while the Czech could only manage one from three in the loss.

“I just tried to stay there every point, to see what was going to happen, like you saw in the last game. Just playing every point with the maximum intensity I could, so I’m very happy about that. I’m happy to be back in a final again,” Sinner said post-match.

The win guaranteed Sinner the end of year world number one, providing the 23-year-old with a piece of history in being the first Italian to achieve the feat. Focusing on the next match, Sinner is at the opposite end of the success rating in 2024 compared to Djokovic, having won a Tour-high six titles, including three ATP 1000 trophies and is hungry to add one more to the cabinet.

“I felt like in Miami I was hitting the ball very good,” Sinner said. “The conditions that week and how I touched the ball, I felt great. In Cincinnati it’s a bit different. The conditions there are usually a bit windy, it’s very difficult to play there. It was more like a mental week.

“[Here in Shanghai] I just try to stay calm. It’s not every day it will be the same. I’m just looking forward to [the final], to play every match I can in the best possible way and to try to find a solution somehow. I guess that’s all I’m going to try to do tomorrow and hopefully it’s going to win the match.”