Sinner and Djokovic enjoy return to Rolex Shanghai Masters

With the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters now in full swing, top tennis stars such as Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic are thrilled to return for the final Asian leg of the season.

"It's just great to be back here, very special tournament, obviously the last one we have in

Asia again," said Sinner, who was crowned in the China Open with a dominant victory over American teenager Learner Tien on Oct 1 in Beijing.

"I feel very welcomed and that's probably the biggest reason why I decided to come here, because I just feel good playing here and feel like at home, probably outside of my country's biggest support that I've been getting anywhere in the world," said Djokovic.

Last year, Sinner defeated Djokovic 2-0 in the final of this ATP Masters 1000 event. As the reigning champion and runner-up, both players came into the tournament under different circumstances.

Despite dropping to World No 2 after his loss to Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open final, the Italian sensation has maintained his top-tier performance throughout the 2025 season, clinching two Grand Slam titles: Wimbledon and the Australian Open.

"I'm not the only one who is changing. If you ask every player, every player is changing stuff and trying to get better. I'm just trying to adjust a couple of things, trying to get better as a player like everyone else does," said the 24-year-old.

Meanwhile, Serbia's 24-time Grand Slam title winner won his 100th ATP title and became the oldest player to reach the semifinals of all four in a year in 2025, at age 38 years.

"It speaks about the level and consistency (of me), so I'm pleased with that of course, but at the same time, there's part of me that always is a winner that wants to be the best," said Djokovic, four-time Rolex Shanghai Masters title winner.

He also admitted that physicality is logically the biggest factor that affects his game at this point, but still look forward to chasing his fifth title in Shanghai.

"That's just a biological fact that eventually I have to accept, I'm still working hardest that I possibly can in the circumstances to challenge the guys or to challenge myself primarily and really see how I can do on all the tournaments that I take part on," he said.

"I don't play tennis only for the sake of making results and winning trophies. There's several other reasons why I keep going and one of them is obviously experiencing the love and support worldwide and still hoping to contribute by participating in the big events to the growth of the tennis overall as a sport. That's what gives me motivation," he added.

For the Serbian, the crowd in Shanghai gives him great energy and vibes, which is of significant importance to developing this sport, he said.

"Chinese people love racket sports, so there is a long history and tradition and culture of tennis and ping pong and other racket sports. So it's great, it's fantastic that there's a lot of excitement for the tennis in Shanghai but also in Beijing. It's a very important tournament for promotion of our sport globally, but particularly in Asia and China," he said.

Li Junfeng contributed to this story.