Novak Djokovic‘s return to the Shanghai Masters for the 11th time was epic on Friday evening. The 24-time slam king and 6-time winner at the ATP 1000 Masters event felt at home as Chinese fans cheered him during his first round. But it seemed more challenging than it had looked. The Serbian faced his longtime rival Marin Cilic. While the result was in his favor, the conditions were not. And Djokovic made it evident with an honest confession.

At the Stadium court on Friday, Djokovic beat Cilic in straight sets after an hour and 54 minutes. With a scoreline of 7-6(2), 6-4, the 38-year-old sealed his spot in the next stage. While a straight-set win may look like an easy ride on paper, it was far from it, and no one knows it better than Djokovic.

It wasn’t just Cilic he had to go through, but also the unbearable weather conditions in Shanghai. After the match, he admitted, “It’s crazy humid, to be honest. I don’t recall the weather being so humid in China,” as 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 being an athlete, he had to adjust to this challenge, “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.”

What’s crucial to note is that it wasn’t just Djokovic who seems to be having a tough time in Shanghai. Earlier this week, the heatwaves at the venue led to a player’s exit from the event. Hungarian ATP pro Marton Fucsovics, who faced Spain’s Jaume Munar in the first round, failed to battle through the humid conditions, with temperatures touching 32 degrees.

Fucsovics took the first set but then couldn’t recover in the remaining two. The extreme heat derailed his focus from on-court. So much so that he even collapsed mid match. When the umpire approached him to check if he was okay, Fucsovics said, “‘I am dying.”

While the 33-year-old Hungarian couldn’t continue his campaign, 38-year-old Djokovic made it happen. However, he also struggled in the first set when Cilic pushed the result into a tiebreak. However, the Serbian had the last laugh eventually, claiming his 20th win over the Croatian.

Novak Djokovic happy with the win against Cilic in Shanghai

After his semifinal setback against 2025 US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic has made a brilliant return. Against Cilic, he delivered an overall clinical performance. Especially when it comes to his serves. He saved all four break points against the Croatian while hitting 10 aces compared to Cilic’s six.

“I think the serving performance was great. I aced him more than he aced me, which is not very common when you play somebody like Marin,” he revealed. “He has got one of the best serves in the world. He was very aggressive. When he feels the ball, he plays so flat, so deep.”

But he also admitted that it wasn’t a perfect win. “I dug myself out of trouble with the serve and some good shots. But it was a tough match for me, no doubt about it. It’s good sometimes to kick-start the tournament with such a match.”

Next up, Djokovic will face Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann in the R32 on Sunday. Hanfmann has made headlines this week in Shanghai, especially after his second round upset win over American star Frances Tiafoe. After losing the first set in an intense tiebreak, the 33-year-old, ranked 150th in the world, made a sensational return. He beat Tiafoe in a decider with a scoreline of 6-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Going into this battle, Djokovic has one key advantage. He leads the H2H tally 1-0 against Hanfmann. In their only meeting last season, the Serbian beat him in the R16 at the Geneva Open. Will he maintain a clean record on Sunday? Only time will tell.