Djokovic a major draw for Shanghai

The return of its winningest champion, a group of A-list stars and some promising homegrown talent — this year's Rolex Shanghai Masters will have more than enough to thrill tennis fans in China, as organizers confirm a major-caliber men's roster.

Already one of the world's topflight ATP1000 events, last year, the Rolex Shanghai Masters upgraded to a 12-day, 96-draw tournament. Now, the 2024 event is guaranteed to be even bigger and better.

Promising a stellar field that includes 17 players who have won a Masters at least once, players will battle it out for 1000 ranking points and a $1.1 million prize at Shanghai's state-of-the-art Qizhong Tennis Center from Sept 30-Oct 13.

World No 1 and freshly-crowned US Open champion Jannik Sinner and Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz will lead the roster as, arguably, the most promising title favorites in Shanghai, fueled by their redhot form and a desire to make up for their respective early exits at last year's event.

Yet, the pre-tournament headlines this year certainly belong to the return of reigning Olympic gold medalist and 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic who is ending a five-year hiatus from competing in China.

Having won in Shanghai four times, the most among anyone, Djokovic is determined to end his ATP title drought this year at the season's penultimate Masters, driven by his enthusiastic Chinese fan base.

"Ni Hao! It's Novak here. I can't wait to be back in Shanghai this year to play at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. It's been five years since I last played in China. I miss my Chinese fans. I miss playing on Chinese soil," the Serbian great said in a video message.

"I've had so much success over the years in Shanghai. Fantastic memories over the years. To all my Nole fans in China, I hope to see you there and let's all enjoy some great tennis at the Qizhong Tennis Center in Shanghai."

Always a fan favorite in China, the Serb maintains records in Shanghai for the most wins (34), longest winning streak (13 matches) and highest winning percentage (88.9 percent) en route to collecting four titles in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018.

"Novak sent a message to all his fans in China telling them of his return, and the already overworked ticket hotline was sent into meltdown," said Shanghai's tournament director Michael Luevano.

"The response to his return has been phenomenal.

"We are so incredibly excited and thrilled to soon be welcoming the players back — Jannik, Carlos, Daniil Medvedev, our champion in 2019, and our reigning champion Hubert Hurkacz (of the Czech Republic).

"Last year Hubi and Andrey Rublev (of Russia) played one of the most extraordinary and gripping finals Asia has ever seen."

The surging progress of China's homegrown talent has given the tournament an even greater appeal for fans, with the country's top-two men, Zhang Zhizhen (No 48) and Shang Juncheng (No 66), both qualified for the main draw.

Fresh from his silver-medal finish in mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics alongside compatriot Wang Xinyu, Zhang, a Shanghai native, is raring to go and hoping for another deep run at his home Masters following a round-of-16 campaign last year.

Meanwhile, Shang, at the age of 19, is celebrating a breakout year of solid progress, including a third-round run at the US Open, securing him a maiden Shanghai main-draw appearance.

"Tennis is such a huge sport in China, and, with so many national players excelling on the ATP Tour, it has only added to the attention tennis is receiving," said Luevano.

"Certainly, having the likes of Zhang Zhizhen and Shang Juncheng, who is still a teenager, is superb.

"They have great personalities, and their tennis has thrilled local sports fans."

Other notable stars listed in the confirmed roster include American trio Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, who are coming off a successful home major in New York, world No 2 Alexander Zverev of Germany, Norway's 9th-ranked ace Casper Ruud and popular Bulgarian veteran Grigor Dimitrov.

There are 27 different nations represented in the entry list. The United States has the most players with eight, followed by France with seven, Italy with six and both Spain and Argentina have five apiece.

In its first five years, from 2009-2013, the tournament was awarded ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year, as voted for by the players.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn