Novak Djokovic says he “suffered a lot” during a hard-fought victory over fellow veteran Marin Cilic in the second round of the Shanghai Masters.
The 38-year-old Serb, playing in his first first tournament since the US Open and his first non-Grand Slam match since May, clinched a 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 win in one hour and 54 minutes over his 37-year-old opponent.
The combined age of Djokovic and Cilic – 75 years and 139 days – was the oldest ever between two opponents in an ATP Masters 1000 main draw match.
Little could separate the pair in the first set as both players held their serve before Djokovic took the tie-break.
Cilic’s serve was then broken in the third game of the second set and world number five Djokovic managed to hold his own to secure his spot in the third round.
Djokovic acknowledged he had to “fire up all engines” to beat Croatia’s Cilic in a grueling encounter at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.
“I did enjoy it, but I also suffered a lot on the court,” Djokovic said.
“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.
“I think I dug myself out of trouble with good serving, which obviously makes me happy.”
Djokovic will face big-serving German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann in the third round.
Sixth seed Ben Shelton looked rusty as he lost 6-2 6-4 to David Goffin of Belgium.
The 22-year-old American, who has been recovering from a shoulder injury picked up at the US Open, struggled to find his rhythm in the first set and lost his serve in the third and seventh games.
Shelton battled back in the second but an unforced error in the ninth game handed Goffin the advantage and the world number 83 closed out the contest.
Goffin’s reward is a third-round match against Canada’s Gabriel Diallo, who is seeded 31.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz pulled out of the Shanghai Open earlier this week with the Spaniard citing “some physical issues” after winning the Japan Open.
