Novak Djokovic announces major scheduling news after winning Olympic gold
By Lee Vowell
Novak Djokovic could take the rest of his career off if he wanted. He has proven enough. Those still trying to make the argument that the Serb is not the greatest player ever lost some serious footing when Djokovic won his first Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games. He is now one of only five players to achieve the Golden Slam - winning all four Grand Slams plus the Olympics.
Of course, he did not need to win in Paris to stake claim to being the best ever. He has won a men's record 24 Grand Slams, 40 Masters 1000s, and held the ATP No. 1 ranking for more than 100 weeks longer than any other player. Statistically, he is the best.
The Serb is scheduled to play in the US Open, of course. In 2023, after winning in New York, he did not play again until the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals, both of which he won. This year, win or lose in New York, Djokovic has announced via his social media platforms that he will be participating in the Rolex Shanghai Masters that is scheduled from October 2 -13.
Novak Djokovic announces he will play in Rolex Shanghai Masters
Djokovic has not played in Shangai since 2019. Like every Masters event, the Serb has won the tournament multiple times. Djokovic has won in Shanghai four times in total, the last coming in 2018.
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One might have wondered that in a year of so many retirements - Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber to name just two of quite a few - if Djokovic might have been thinking of winding down his career as well. Besides not winning a tournament in 2024 until the Olympics, he had made an important coaching change as well.
His playing in the Shanghai Masters certainly does not mean that he is going to ramp up his schedule in 2025 and make that his final year, but the move is an interesting one. He is beginning to produce different product lines, such as his SILA electrolyte hydration cubes, and China could be a big market. Djokovic playing at the Shanghai Masters isn't only good for tennis fans, but it might be good for his bottom line as well.
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