Novak Djokovic Backed as Threat to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as Shanghai Masters Looms

With 24 Grand Slam titles to his name, Novak Djokovic doesn’t really need to prove his worth anymore: His accolades speak for themselves. And yet, his hunger to keep adding more feats to his resume is something truly remarkable! “I still want to play full Grand Slam season next year,” said the 39-year-old just earlier this month, following his US Open exit after being defeated by Carlos Alcaraz. Now, as the Shanghai Masters inch closer, it looks like tennis pundits are in agreement that the Serb still has plenty left in his tank to keep younger opponents like Alcaraz on their toes at the upcoming tournament.

2025 hasn’t been really bountiful for Djokovic. Apart from winning his 100th ATP Tour singles title at the Geneva Open, he didn’t have much success on the tennis court. But as the Shanghai Masters approach, tennis analyst and expert Simon Rea believes good times could be on the table for Novak. Why? In a recent YouTube upload by Australian Open TV, Rea could be heard explaining his reason.

Talking to the show’s hosts, Xave and Brie, the seasoned tennis loyalist from New Zealand highlighted how the Shanghai Masters’ best-of-three-sets format could play out to Novak Djokovic’s benefit. “He recently said in his press conference at the US Open that he feels he has more to give in the game when playing best-of-three sets rather than best-of-five, especially against some of the younger players,” Rea reminded his colleagues.

“In a best-of-three event, by the time you reach the semifinals, you typically have more energy and reserves left because you haven’t expended as much effort in earlier rounds,” the analyst went on, underscoring how Novak will have the perfect opportunity to redeem himself for the US Open early exit at the October tournament. With that, he also noted how this could pose a threat to the top two players in the world right now. “That extra petrol in the tank can make a difference in those critical moments against players like Sinner and Alcaraz at the business end of tournaments. This could potentially be a key factor allowing him to have more success against such opponents compared to what we’ve seen from him at the best-of-five level, as he reflected on following his loss in New York,” Rea said.