By Janhavi Shinde

Copyright sportskeeda

Novak Djokovic is making advancements at the Shanghai Masters following his semifinal exit at the 2025 US Open. He commenced his run with a straight-sets victory over Marin Cilic with 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 at Qizhong Forest Sports Arena Stadium.The 38-year-old Serb survived a scare in the second round to reach the round of 16 after outlasting Yannick Hanfmann with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win. While Djokovic is edging closer to his record-extending fifth title, his peers have struggled to keep up with the pace. Around 10 seeded players have been eliminated from the men’s draw after the conclusion of the first round, and multiple injuries have been recorded.The US Open champion Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from the Shanghai Masters, citing the ankle injury he sustained at the Japan Open. Ahead of his second-round faceoff against Nuno Borges, Stefanos Tsitsipas also withdrew from the ATP Masters 1000 event due to a leg injury. This year’s French Open and Wimbledon winner Jannik Sinner was forced to retire from the tournament during his third-round faceoff against Tallon Griekspoor, after sustaining severe leg cramps in brutal, humid conditions in Shanghai.Seed no. 11 Casper Rudd also pulled out from competing at the Shanghai Masters after complaining about wrist pain during the preliminary round. With sixth seed Ben Shelton, 33rd seed Corentin Moutet, 25th seed Frances Tiafoe, 13th seed Andrey Rublev, and 22nd seed Flavlo Cobolli’s exit from the starting three rounds of the tournament, there’s a chance Djokovic might not face any seeded player in the quarter-finals and semifinal rounds.Novak Djokovic criticizes the playing conditions at the 2025 Shanghai MastersNovak Djokovic at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. (Photo via Getty Images)Novak Djokovic slammed the harsh conditions at the Shanghai Masters after his third-round win against Yannick Hanfmann. Although the Serb registered the win, he struggled in the first set, with 4-6. He was also seen walking at the back of the court amid the second set to vomit. Later, he was also seen throwing up in the towel during the changeover. Speaking about the grueling conditions, Djokovic said:”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.”He added:”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.” (via Olylmpics.com)Novak Djokovic will face Jaume Munar in the next round.