Novak Djokovic slams conditions at Shanghai Masters 2025

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has slammed the conditions at the Shanghai Masters 2025 following his round of 32 victory against Yannick Hanfmann.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner rallied from a set down to beat German Hanfmann by 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in a match that lasted two hours and 42 minutes.

Djokovic was clearly struggling with extreme heat and high humidity, but over time, he adapted to the conditions and made an extraordinary comeback to win the match.

Speaking after the match, the 38-year-old called the conditions brutal and said that it was really difficult for him to play in these conditions at this age.

"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,” Djokovic said.

"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."

The Serb criticised the playing conditions at the Shanghai Masters, but he praised the crowd and the atmosphere around the arena.

Djokovic will face Spain’s Jaume Munar in the round of 16.

The Serbian legend admitted that he struggled during his first-round match against Marin Cilic at the Shanghai Masters.

"I did enjoy it, but I also suffered a lot on the court. It was a very close match. He was probably the better player for the first set and he didn't give me time to breathe," he added.

Djokovic defeated Cilic by 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 in the first round.