The Shanghai Masters delivered a day of dramatic contrasts for two of tennis's biggest stars, as defending champion Jannik Sinner was forced to retire with an injury while Novak Djokovic survived a major scare to advance to the fourth round. Sinner's title defence ended prematurely due to a leg injury, while Djokovic battled back from a set down and physical distress against German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann.
Jannik Sinner's campaign came to an unfortunate end during his third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands. The world number two was forced to quit while trailing 6-7(3), 7-5, 3-2. After appearing to struggle with cramp in his right thigh in the humid conditions, Sinner collapsed in pain in the third set and could not continue. "This is definitely not the way you want to win," Griekspoor said afterwards. "Brutal conditions here in Shanghai all week, I’m sorry for him, I wish him a speedy recovery.”
In the night session, Novak Djokovic endured his own physical battle to overcome the 150th-ranked Yannick Hanfmann 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. The 38-year-old Serb was outplayed for large portions of the match and struggled visibly with the conditions, at one point appearing to vomit during a changeover. “I was just outplayed by a better player for a set and a half - I was hanging by a rope to stay in the match,” Djokovic admitted.
Despite the struggle, Djokovic mounted a comeback, clinching the second set and finding his rhythm in the decider. He credited the crowd for their support and spoke candidly about the difficult playing environment. "It's brutal when you have over 80 per cent of humidity day after day," Djokovic said. "For me, biologically it's a bit more challenging to deal with it. But I had to really weather the storm today."
Following the day's dramatic results, the fourth-round matchups are now set. Tallon Griekspoor will advance to play Valentin Vacherot, who also moved on after his opponent, Tomas Machac, retired from their match. Novak Djokovic, continuing his quest for a record-extending fifth Shanghai title, is scheduled to face Spain's Jaume Munar.