Hubert Hurkacz reacts after beating Novak Djokovic for the first time in Shanghai, ‘It’s a special night’

Hubert Hurkacz defeated Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 6-3, in the second round of the Shanghai Masters.

The Pole produced a serving masterclass to snap Djokovic’s winning streak in China. Djokovic won the China Open earlier in the week and was looking to pick up another title in Shanghai, but it wasn’t to be.

Having lost their first eight encounters, Hurkacz finally defeated Djokovic, securing his place in the third round of the Shanghai Masters. Always humble in victory or defeat, Hurkacz shared some kind words about the 24-time Grand Slam champion after the match.

“It’s a special night. I’ve been playing Novak [Djokovic] for like seven years, and it’s always been unsuccessful, but he presents such a great challenge, such a great champion. For so many years, he’s been on the tour on the top; he just won Beijing, so it’s a very difficult task to play against him,” said Hurkacz.

Novak Djokovic and Hubert Hurkacz’s head-to-head record

“But it’s also a pleasure to share a court with him, to play such a legend of the sport; it’s a lot of fun, and then you challenge also yourself, you find where your level is.”

“Definitely, it was very important at the start to stay with Novak, because if he gets ahead, he presents such a great level, it’s not easy to come back,” he said when asked to pinpoint the key moments of the match.

“Then, of course, towards the end, I was feeling some nerves, it’s not the first time leading by a break in the decider against Novak, so I was definitely trying to stay focused, focus on my things and what I needed to do, and then I was pleased with the performance at the end.”

Hurkacz was simply the better player on the day and deserved the win. His serve guided him to victory as it so often does, but it would be unfair not to praise other areas of his game. The 2023 Shanghai Masters champion played excellent tennis throughout and will be one to watch at the year’s penultimate Masters 1000 event.

The 29-year-old will return to play Zhou Yi or Lorenzo Musetti in the third round this weekend. If he wins that match, Hurkacz will meet Frances Tiafoe or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the last 16.

Djokovic was as positive as we’ve seen him for months after winning the China Open on Tuesday. During his post-match press conference, the Serb seemed upbeat about his chances going forward.

“Of course, I’m very proud of the achievement here. It came at the best possible time as a confidence booster, as proof that I can still play at the highest level. Winning against three top-10 players in a matter of three days back-to-back is a great achievement. I’m obviously filled with joy,” he said.

Unfortunately, his Shanghai Masters performance left a lot to be desired and may have reset those expectations. When at his best, Djokovic remains one of the best in the world, but at 39, he’s simply unable to produce that level for as long and as often as some of his younger rivals.

Losing to Hurkacz in Shanghai also hurt Djokovic’s chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals. He remains in the final qualification spot, but could be overtaken by several players, including Alex de Minaur and Rafael Jodar, by the end of the tournament.