Fan favorite Djokovic illuminates Shanghai with hard fought opening win

Roared on by a capacity crowd at the sold-out central court, 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic overcame a slow start to cruise into the third round at the Rolex Shanghai Masters with a straight-sets win over Marin Cilic.

The 38-year-old Serbian fan favorite struggled to reach his best as quickly as expected, apparently hampered by the hot and humid weather, as he had to dig deep facing an familiar foe in 37-year-old Cilic, before he walked away with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 second-round win inside just under two hours on Friday night at the ATP 1000 tournament.

Djokovic, who made a last-minute decision to compete in Shanghai for a second straight year just a few days before the tournament he has won a record four times (2012, '13, '15 and '18) started, will face German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann in the round of 32.

Directly after the win, Djokovic addressed the cheering crowd at the central court of Qizhong Tennis Center in his own way - trying to write one of the Chinese characters of his name on the broadcast camera.

He missed a few strokes of the character, eliciting good-natured laughter around the stadium, but making no mistakes in showing his appreciation for the support he's always enjoyed in China.

"It's always a pleasure to play in front of such passionate fans. The Chinese people have been giving me a lot of love and support over the years," said Djokovic, who returned to play in Shanghai last year for the first time after a five-year hiatus.

"I try to give them back with good tennis and basic knowledge of Chinese language with a few phrases."

Fighting against not just tough weather conditions but also a bit of rust from a long break since his last tournament at the US Open over a month ago, Djokovic put his trademark efficiency on full display against the big-serving Cilic by stepping up his game when needed, winning 84 percent of his first-serve points versus Cilic's 79 percent, while containing his unforced errors to 15, nine less than the Croatian veteran, to dictate the play.

Friday's victory was Djokovic's 20th win over Cilic, extending his head-to-head record against the 2014 US Open champion to 20-2.

"I thought I enjoyed myself. I suffered as well with the high intensity of the match. Marin was an incredible opponent," Djokovic, who now turns his attentions to attempting to win a fifth title in East China's metropolis, said in the mixed zone after the match.

"Tonnes of respect for Marin, all he has achieved and who he is as a person," he added.

"We get along very well off the court, we've known each other for some many years. The last time we played was three years ago, so it's great to see him back playing at this level."

By notching his 40th win in Shanghai, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Djokovic became the first man to record 40 or more wins at six different ATP Masters 1000 events since the series' introduction in 1990 (Rome 68, Indian Wells 51, Paris 50, Miami 49, Cincinnati 45).

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn