The 2025 season has been anything but easy for Novak Djokovic. The Serb who holds record after record in wins and titles is now fighting his way through the Shanghai Masters. He just took down Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-4 to book his 10th semifinal spot in China. It wasn’t smooth sailing, not after he battled injury in the previous round and even threw up in Shanghai’s brutal conditions. But he’s been aware of the challenges of competing at the age of 38. “My body will probably betray me more often than it has throughout my entire career,” he confessed. And, it’s not getting any easier for him.

On Thursday, after his win over Bergs, Djokovic got real in his post-match press conference. When asked, “How do you think about the championship, just two wins away?” The 24-time Grand Slam champion replied, “Well, it might like easy for you, but I assure you it wasn’t easy. No win is easy at this level.” Acknowledging his opponent’s fight, he made it clear this victory was anything but smooth. Especially at his age, things don’t get easier.

The 38-year-old added, “My leg was good. There’s always something happening with the body pretty much every match that I play right now. There’s some other issues that I’m trying to address day by day, and hopefully it’s going to get better as the tournament progresses.”

True to his word, Novak Djokovic’s Shanghai run has been anything but easy. Battling Jaume Munar in suffocating heat and 80% humidity, the Serb fought through a left leg injury and even vomiting to pull off a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win. That victory booked his spot in the Shanghai quarterfinals. Those tense minutes after he collapsed at the end of the second set, only to roar back by breaking Munar’s serve from 40-15 down to start the third. That kind of stubborn defiance has been Nole’s trademark for two decades.

But the drama didn’t start there. In the previous round, Djokovic was already wrestling with injuries and the brutal Shanghai weather. His third-round match against Yannick Hanfmann came with its own twist, when he vomited during play, visibly struggling as temperatures soared to 35°C under the daytime haze on China’s east coast.

He spoke about the conditions, calling them “brutal” as he raised concerns about competing in such heat. After his opening match against Marin Cilic, he said, “It’s crazy humid, to be honest. I don’t recall the weather being so humid in China,” reported by the ATP Tour’s website on October 3. “I don’t remember the last time I played in humidity like this. It is what it is… It’s the same for me, my opponent, and every other player.” But as always, the athlete in him knew he had to adapt. “You just have to accept it, deal with it. A lot of sweating. The laundry bills will be quite high this week, but that’s okay.”

Despite everything, the Serbian still made it to the semifinals at a tournament he’s already conquered four times, in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2018. And it’s not like Bergs let him off without a fight!

Novak Djokovic applauds his opponent’s caliber

Nole made more history in Shanghai, stepping off court as the oldest semifinalist in Masters 1000 history. It didn’t come without its battles. The 38-year-old looked bothered by his left foot in the opening set against Zizou Bergs, but he pushed through to seal a spot in the last four, his record-extending 80th Masters 1000 semifinal. Not bad for a man who admits he was “just trying to stay alive” out there.

Djokovic’s first meeting with the 26-year-old Belgian had plenty of fire. “My first encounter with Bergs. He’s a great guy. Obviously, a lot of firepower in his game,” the Serb said. “At times I just tried to play an extra ball in the court and make him miss the ball, and that’s what happened. I should have closed out the match at 5-4. He played a good game, again I was a little bit too passive.” Even with that hiccup, the stats show his class, four of five break points saved and a perfect 27-0 record this season after claiming the first set.

The match had drama in the second set when Novak Djokovic broke for 5-4 and served for victory, only for Bergs to storm back with a sharp return game. Then came one of the points of the tournament. Novak repelled four overhead smashes and a swinging volley before breaking serve again. This time, the man with 100 career titles finished the job without hesitation.

Shanghai’s heat and humidity also played their part, yet Djokovic took it in stride. “Very challenging conditions these days for all the players, and I was just trying to stay alive on the court. I’m glad to overcome this hurdle,” he said. The sweat, the grind, and the grit. It’s all part of the story in China this week, and Nole is writing it with plenty of fight.

Two wins now stand between Novak Djokovic and a record-extending 41st Masters 1000 crown, and his first since the 2023 Rolex Paris Masters. Next up is surprise package Valentin Vacherot, who stunned 10th seed Holger Rune earlier in the day. Could it be Novak’s sixth Shanghai Masters final? Last year, Jannik Sinner denied him that chance, but with the Italian out early this time due to cramping, the path looks wide open.