Novak Djokovic battled past ‘brutal’ conditions in Shanghai and German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann by 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to advance in the Shanghai Masters. The Serbian lost the opening set in the round of 32 clash but bounced back strongly in humid conditions.

The former World No.1 had to go through an acid test but prevailed and came up with the goods. The record four-time champion registered a two-hour, 45-minute victory against the German.

“It’s the same for every player out on the court, but it’s brutal,” Djokovic said of the Shanghai conditions. “It’s brutal when you have over 80 per cent of humidity day after day, particularly for the guys when they’re playing during the day with heat, with sun, it’s even more brutal.

“For me, biologically, it’s a bit more challenging to deal with it. But I had to really weather the storm today. Yannick played an incredible match from the beginning.”

The Serbian gave his gratitude to the Chinese fans for supporting him during the match. With this win, Djokovic improved to 2-0 against Hanfmann.

“It’s incredible to be here playing in front of a very passionate crowd. First couple matches, packed stadium, one of the nicest and biggest stadiums we have in sports,” said Djokovic, who is 33-10 record in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. “So it’s stunning, honestly, I cannot ask for more. I’m grinding for almost three hours, third round of a Masters at 38 with the full stadium cheering my name. It’s a dream come true for me so I’m very thankful.”

Djokovic will next take on Spain’s Jaume Munar in the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters.