Top News

Novak Djokovic pushed beyond his limits to beat Jaume Munar at the Shanghai Masters after collapsing on the court and having his vitals checked. The veteran Serb somehow found the strength to win a decisive third set, having also vomited earlier in the match. Munar tried his best to take advantage of the situation but was unable to stop Djokovic from securing a 6-3 5-7 6-2 victory.

There were wild scenes of celebration in the stands as Djokovic converted his first match point to win under strenuous circumstances. In doing so, the 38-year-old became the oldest player to reach the quarter-finals of an ATP Masters event. He will be hoping to go all the way in the absence of Jannik Sinner, who was struck down by painful cramps earlier in the tournament.

Djokovic was relatively comfortable in the opening set, making his superiority count as Munar struggled to gain a foothold in the match. He did have a medical timeout after the fourth game but was able to recover enough to keep going.

The struggles continued in the second, with his Spanish opponent getting across the line after a lengthy battle of attrition. After the final point of the set, Djokovic dropped to the floor and had to be checked over by medical officials.

His vital signs were checked and he was spotted looking queasy, at one point throwing up on the court before wiping it up with a towel. The sweltering temperatures in Shanghai have caused problems for many players over the last few days.

It looked as though Djokovic would be forced to retire, but he quickly picked himself up and kept battling on. He seemed to flick a switch in the final set, playing some of his best tennis of the match to wrap up proceedings in style.

The contest lasted two hours and 42 minutes, with Djokovic looking exhausted after shaking hands with Munar and stepping off the court. He refused to conduct his post-match media duties, instead walking straight down the players' tunnel.

Earlier this week, Djokovic admitted to struggling in the difficult conditions with humidity creeping close to the 80 per cent mark at times.

Speaking after his previous victory over Yannick Hanfmann, he said: "It's the same for every player out on the court, but it's brutal.

"It's brutal when you have over 80 per cent of humidity day after day, particularly for the guys when they're playing during the day with heat, with sun, it's even more brutal.

"For me, biologically it's a bit more challenging to deal with it. But I had to really weather the storm today. Yannick played an incredible match from the beginning."

Djokovic will face Zizou Bergs in his next match on Thursday, where he will be hoping for an easier ride as he looks to reach the semi-finals.