Novak Djokovic ‘just trying to stay alive’ during victory in sweltering Shanghai

novak djokovic He said he was trying to “survive” after reaching the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters.

The 38-year-old has been among those battling hot and humid conditions this week but he is on course for a first Masters 1000 title in almost two years after defeating Zizou Bergs 6-3 7-5.

Djokovic, the oldest man to reach the last eight at the Masters level, had vomited and fainted during his previous matches and he again did not look physically comfortable during the rallies against Australia. Belgian Bergs.

But he managed to sweep the event in straight sets and complete it at the second time of asking.

Asked what he had to do physically and mentally to reach the Final Four, he said: “A lot. Honestly, I’m just trying to survive on the court.”

“First meeting with Bergs, great guy, obviously he has a lot of firepower in his game. Sometimes I tried to play an extra ball in the court and let him miss the ball. The same thing happened.

“I should have finished the match 5-4, he played well. I was a little too passive. These few weeks were very challenging conditions for all the players. I’m happy to overcome this obstacle.”

In the semi-finals, fourth-seeded Djokovic will face the surprise package of the week, Monaco’s Valentin Vachrot, who at 204th in the world is the lowest-ranked man to reach a Masters 1000 event this century.

Qualifier Vacherot, seeded 10, defeated his highest-ranked opponent to date holger runeThe Dane suffered cramps during the closing stages of the 2-6 7-6(4) 6-4 loss.

Vacherot was overshadowed by his cousin, France’s Arthur Rinderknecht, who would try to reach the final four if he faced him. Happy Auger-Aliassime On Friday.

The win ensured that the 26-year-old Vacherot would break into the top 100 for the first time and at the end he could not hold back his tears.

“It was a surreal moment for me,” he said. “So much emotion. To share it with my coach, my brother, my girlfriend, Arthur my cousin. There’s a bunch of people here with me, and we’re still here tomorrow to cheer on Arthur.”