By Aayush Kataria

Copyright timesnownews

Novak Djokovic battled health issues in some brutal conditions to reach the quarter-finals of the 2025 ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters on Tuesday (October 7) at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai with a victory over an unseeded Jaume Munar in a three-set thriller. The Serbian beat the Spaniard by a scoreline of 3-6, 5-7, and 6-2 to seal his place in the quarter-finals, where he will face Belgian star Zizou Berg, who is also a player who is not seeded. Djokovic is looking to create history by winning a record-extending 5th title in Shanghai and 41st ATP 1000 event title. Novak Djokovic Struggles On Court Djokovic was struggling with the intense humidity in Shanghai and vomited on court during the match. The 38-year-old threw up outside the line of the court. However, he earned praise for his gesture towards a ball boy, who offered to clean up the arena. However, the Serbian did the task himself with a cloth. He also apologised to Munar for the same. “Sorry to hold you up, man, I gotta clean up my own barf,” said Djokovic. “No problem, amigo, Take your time,” Munar replied. However, things took a scary turn at the end of the second set as just seconds after Munar hit the winning point, the Serbian collapsed to the floor. Djokovic took a medical timeout at that time. Infact, it was one of multiple timeouts that the Serbian took in the match as he was dealing with an ankle issue and in pain. Despite all the issues, he managed to win the game. The conditions in Shanghai have caused major problems for players, as World No.2 Jannik Sinner had to retire with severe cramps. Djokovic struggled in his Round of 32 match, too and was spotted vomiting. Also Read: Novak Djokovic Creates History; Breaks Roger Federer’s Astonishing 6-Year-Old World Record “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,” said Djokovic after the match. Meanwhile, the 24-time Grand Slam champion set a massive world record by becoming the oldest player in history to reach the quarter-finals of an ATP 1000 event.