Novak Djokovic's last chance to win another Masters title is now

Novak Djokovic might have one last chance to win an ATP Masters 1000 title at the 2025 Shanghai Masters.

Djokovic is 38. He won't get any younger, any quicker, or any healthier. Athletes who compete into their 40s are more prone to injuries, and those injuries also take longer to heal. That's just the reality of biology.

Throughout his tennis career, Djokovic has done an exceptional job of taking care of his body. However, playing at such a high level at 38 is also something we have never seen before. In fact, no man older than 37 years, 1 month, and 24 days has ever won a Grand Slam title. Ken Rosewall, who won the 1972 Australian Open, is the oldest man to win a major.

The only other players who managed to be competitive at a similar age were Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and, obviously, Djokovic. Federer is the second-oldest major champion, achieving his last Grand Slam triumph at the 2018 Australian Open when he was 36 years, 5 months, and 7 days old.

Djokovic's last Grand Slam title came at the 2023 US Open. He was 36 years, 3 months, and 6 days old at the time. When it comes to the ATP Masters 1000 champions, the list is very similar.

Federer won the 2019 Miami Open at 37 years and 235 days, while Djokovic triumphed at the 2023 Paris Masters when he was 36 years and 167 days old. Today, Djokovic is more than a year older than the oldest male Grand Slam champion and almost a year older than the oldest Masters winner. He is also nearly two years older than he was when he last won a Masters title.

Of course, records are meant to be broken, but there are also reasons why no one older than 37 ever managed to win a big title (Djokovic was also 37 when he won the 2024 Paris Olympics). The previously mentioned higher risk of injuries and longer recovery times are just two of the reasons, but one of the main reasons is that there is nowhere to hide on a tennis court.

Only recently, we saw then-39-year-old Alexander Ovechkin break the NHL's all-time scoring record, and former NHL legend Jaromir Jagr continues to play in the Czech Extraliga (one of the top European ice hockey leagues) at 53. Yes, 53!

Legendary LeBron James will start his 23rd season, during which he will turn 41. 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo has scored four goals in his first four league matches this season, and 38-year-old Lionel Messi keeps lighting up the Major League Soccer (MLS) with his outstanding performances, scoring 24 and assisting on 18 goals this season.

But those are team sports. Tennis is unique because the player stands alone on the court, and the opponent can exploit every weakness that they have, and with age, the number of weaknesses increases.

Djokovic is not as quick as he once used to be, he is not as precise, and he can't hit as hard. Roger Federer once famously said, "I won almost 80% of all singles matches I played, but I only won 54% of points."

The margins in tennis are razor-sharp, and losing just a tiny bit of that four-percent edge over the opponents can crash the percentage of matches won from 80% to 50%.

Although Djokovic continues to compete and is currently the third-most successful player on the ATP Tour this year, according to the points earned, he has won only two titles in the past two years. One at the Olympic Games and the other in Geneva this year. He keeps losing more sets in matches than he used to and appears in trouble more often. But there might still be one more Masters title left in him.

The stars aligned perfectly for the 38-year-old in Shanghai this year. Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament before it even began, Jannik Sinner retired from his third-round match, and Alexander Zverev lost in his third-round match.

On top of that, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton are out of the tournament as well after losing early. That means, apart from Djokovic, there are only two other Top 10 players left. Alex de Minaur, who holds a 1-3 head-to-head record against the Serbian, and Lorenzo Musetti, whose H2H is 1-8.

The draw cleared up just perfectly for Djokovic, and the experience is on his side as well. He has won the Shanghai Masters four times already, more than any other man, and no one has won more Masters titles than Djokovic either. He is a 40-time champion, which is four more than second-placed Nadal.

As he has shown at majors this year, Djokovic can still beat most of the players ranked below him, but he seemingly can't beat Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner anymore.

There probably won't be another instance with those two names missing from the draw already in the fourth round anytime soon, especially considering that there is only one more ATP Masters 1000 event left this year, and another one will be played in March next year, when Djokovic will be two months away from his 39th birthday. This might, therefore, be his last chance to win such a title.

On top of having the best possible draw to become the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion ever, Djokovic can also rely on the fan support in Shanghai. He is one of the most beloved players in China, and he also gives back to his fans.

The Serbian player regularly attempts to say phrases in Mandarin Chinese, and he has even attempted to sign the camera lens after his wins in Shanghai in Chinese characters. Djokovic even spoke about the fan support after his third-round win over Yannick Hanfmann.