World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Flavio Cobolli shared a warm exchange following their third-round match at the Shanghai Masters. Djokovic delivered a commanding performance, defeating the Italian in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. This victory secured Djokovic’s place in the fourth round of the tournament, marking his 10th appearance at the Shanghai Masters. As one of the top contenders for the title, Djokovic appears focused on making a significant impact at this year’s Masters 1000 event.
Following the match, Cobolli took to social media to express his admiration for Djokovic, calling him his “all-time GOAT” and praising his demeanor on the court. Cobolli wrote, “Thank you Nole! Always my idol!! Always with a smile on your face.” Djokovic responded graciously, acknowledging the Italian’s message and expressing his pleasure at sharing the court with him in Shanghai. “Thank you, my friend. It’s a pleasure to share the field with you,” Djokovic replied.
This was the first time Djokovic and Cobolli faced each other on the main ATP tour. Djokovic dominated the match, winning 80% of his first serve points and hitting 19 winners to secure his victory. Reflecting on his performance in the post-match interview, Djokovic explained his strategy: “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.”
After taking some time off following his early exit from the US Open, Djokovic said he felt rested and energized on the court. “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 [for] as long as it takes,” he added.
Djokovic is set to face Roman Safiullin in the fourth round of the tournament. Djokovic has a strong record at the Shanghai Masters, having won the title four times in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2018. He has rarely exited before the quarterfinal stage and leads the head-to-head against Safiullin 2-0, most recently defeating him at the Monte-Carlo Masters earlier this year.
While Djokovic easily dispatched Cobolli, Safiullin had to battle through a tough three-set match against Frances Tiafoe, winning 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5) to secure his place in the next round. The winner of the Djokovic-Safiullin match will advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face either Grigor Dimitrov or Jakub Mensik.
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