Novak Djokovic Sets Yet Another Record At Shanghai Open! Becomes First Tennis Player To…

Novak Djokovic at the Shanghai Masters (X)

At 38, Novak Djokovic continues to rewrite the tennis record books — and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

The Serbian great reached his 80th ATP Masters 1000 semi-final on Thursday, extending a record that already stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field.

With the milestone, Djokovic has pulled further clear of Rafael Nadal (76) and Roger Federer (66) — the only other players in history to have surpassed 50 semi-final appearances at this elite level.

And as if one record weren’t enough, the world No. 1 also broke his own mark as the oldest player ever to reach a Masters 1000 semi-final, at 38 years and 133 days — surpassing the previous benchmark he set earlier this year in Miami.

Djokovic Battles Through to Another Shanghai Semi-Final

The four-time Shanghai Masters champion had to dig deep to overcome Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs 6-3, 7-5 in a testing quarter-final. Despite the straight-sets scoreline, the match was anything but routine.

Bergs, ranked outside the top 100, actually hit more winners than Djokovic and saved five set points in a dramatic first set before the top seed finally closed it out with an unreturnable serve.

The second set was even more grueling. At one point, Djokovic survived a stunning rally in which Bergs had five chances to finish the point at the net, only for the Serb to claw his way back and send the Shanghai crowd into raptures.

Djokovic eventually sealed the win on his third match point, booking a 10th career semi-final appearance in Shanghai — only the second tournament (after Rome) where he’s reached double digits at the semi-final stage.

Vacherot’s Dream Run Awaits a Date with Djokovic

Standing between Djokovic and yet another Masters final is one of the most unlikely challengers of the year — world No. 204 Valentin Vacherot, a Monegasque qualifier who has stunned the draw with a series of upsets.

Vacherot pulled off his biggest shock yet by toppling 10th seed Holger Rune 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, becoming the second-lowest ranked player in history to reach an ATP Masters semi-final.

His improbable journey will propel him into the top 100 next week — a remarkable comeback after spending half of last year sidelined by injury.

The 25-year-old qualifier said facing Djokovic would be a career highlight:

“It would mean a lot to play at least one of the guys of the ‘Big Three’ in my career,” he said.

(with agency inputs)