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 inches closer, it looks like tennis analysts 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 approaches, tennis analyst and expert Simon Rea believes good times could be on the table for the Serb. In a recent YouTube upload by Australian Open TV, Rea explained his reasoning.

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 Djokovic 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.

After all, the Grand Slam legend himself confessed to having a tough time against Alcaraz in the US Open. “Unfortunately, I ran out of gas after the second set,” Djokovic said, “I think I had enough energy to battle him and keep up with his rhythm for sets. After that, I was gassed out and he kept going. That’s kind of what I felt this year also with Jannik. Best of five sets makes it very, very difficult for me to play them.”

Djokovic lost back-to-back semifinals against Sinner at the French Open and Wimbledon this year. But can the Shanghai Masters prove to be worth it? A lot is at stake.

Despite all his fumbles, Novak Djokovic still has his loyalists rallying behind his cause

Why? Because this year, Novak Djokovic has played almost exclusively in Grand Slam tournaments. Apart from his Geneva Open triumph, the Serbian legend has mostly kept his horizons narrow. Naturally, his announcement to compete in the 2025 Shanghai Open came as a shock to the fans, who saw it as a major deviation from his trajectory this year. But community members couldn’t have been happier, nonetheless.

“Shanghai’s fortunate. We’re fortunate. Anytime we can watch Novak play, we want to watch him play,” Mark Knowles recently said about Djokovic’s surprising decision to play in China. On the other hand, with Djokovic making his feelings clear on how the tennis season can push athletes to their limits, one would wonder how the Shanghai Masters fit into his focus on the majors this year.

However, with Patrick Mouratoglou bestowing the title of “the toughest” on Djokovic just days ago, fans should brace themselves for a premier masterclass by Nole in China. How about you? Feeling the butterflies in your stomach yet by the prospect of seeing Novak Djokovic lifting yet another trophy? Tell us your thoughts below!