Djokovic bows out, as Vacherot makes final a family affair

As eventual champion Valentin Vacherot whispered "don't retire" to Novak Djokovic at the net after stunning the 24-time major winner to reach the final of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, the history-making Monegasque simply put into words the feeling weighing on the hearts of Chinese tennis fans.

Unwillingly, yet admiringly, the Serbian great's Chinese "Nole-Fam" had to bid an earlier-than-expected farewell to their hero, a four-time tournament champion in Shanghai, after Vacherot, an unheralded qualifier up until last week, outplayed a physically struggling Djokovic in straight sets — in what is surely his greatest career win to date — in the semifinals of the ATP 1000 event on Saturday.

Although coming up short in his bid for a record-extending fifth Shanghai title, Djokovic left the East China metropolis — where a statue of him has been erected at the Qizhong Tennis Center, a place he enjoys home-court levels of support — with tons of love and respect that he clearly holds dear, during what seems to be the twilight of his celebrated career.

"Shanghai, you will always have my heart. Thanks for everything you've done!" Djokovic posted on both X and its Chinese equivalent, Sina Weibo, after his Saturday loss.

In an unexpected family reunion in Shanghai, Vacherot beat his older cousin Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in what was the first final at the ATP 1000 level for both players on Sunday, completing an amazing run that has elevated the 26-year-old Vacherot to a career-high world No 40 on the live ATP rankings — a meteoric rise from outside of the top 200 before Shanghai.

Rinderknech, representing France, had beaten the tournament's 2019 champion Daniil Medvedev of Russia in another surprising semifinal to ensure the final showdown would be a family affair.

After toppling one of his idols in the sport, Vacherot took quite a bit of time to process his seismic upset of Djokovic, and paid tribute to the 40-time ATP 1000 titlist, who's struggled with an apparent foot injury since the third round in Shanghai, yet chose not to elaborate on the issue.

"To get to play Djokovic already once is unbelievable. To be on the other side of the court, I'm actually really surprised about how I managed it, mentally," Vacherot said.

"It's really unreal what he's doing at 38 years old.

"In the last game, I'm not gonna lie, my hands were shaking a little bit... I'm just so proud of myself."

Djokovic, who has not won a Masters title since 2023, offered congratulations to Vacherot, but refused to discuss his injury.

Still a force

Although coming to compete in Shanghai for an 11th time was a lastminute decision, Djokovic proved his resilience, his craft and ever-competitive spirit in the sport where he's set new benchmarks in longevity, and still pursues a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles trophy.

His strong run in Shanghai at the end of a long season suggests that, at least in the year to come, Djokovic will remain a force to be reckoned with at the top of the men's tour, where the super duo of Spain's world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz and Italy's No 2 Jannik Sinner jointly reign supreme.

The two young superstars have met in the last three Slam finals, with the Spaniard bagging titles at Roland Garros and the US Open, and the Italian capturing Wimbledon. Sinner also retained his Australian Open title in January.

Overall, they have accounted for the last eight Grand Slam titles.

Djokovic, regardless of how marginal his chances now seem to be in trying to jostle with the two and wrest a major title from either, said he still finds motivation to keep playing, mainly for the fans, particularly those in China.

"Honestly, not just because we are here, but walking out here in China, the center court, for me, every single match really gives me incredible emotions and sensations, because of so much support that I've been getting," Djokovic said following his quarterfinal win over Belgian ace Zizou Bergs on Thursday.

"I did not expect that, that much. I know that people appreciate and respect the achievements I've had in the last 20-plus years, but it's been better and better every single year (I come to China).

"I've been trying to return the love with some good tennis, and, hopefully, they have been enjoying it," said Djokovic, who has also won the ATP 500 China Open in Beijing a tournament-record six times.