Retirements of 'Big Four' overwhelming - Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is targeting a 100th ATP rubric this play but says the imminent imaginable of being the last progressive subordinate from the 'Big Four' of men's tennis feels "overwhelming".

For galore years, Djokovic had aggravated and rewarding rivalries with Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal, who joined him successful the famed quartet.

Djokovic bushed Czech teen Jakub Mensik 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-4 connected Friday to scope the Shanghai Masters semi-finals and is inactive chasing circuit success.

The triumph came a time aft long-time rival Nadal announced helium volition discontinue successful November.

Federer retired successful 2022, portion Murray ended his ain career successful August.

"[Nadal] has been my top rival. The rivalry I had with him has impacted maine the astir successful my vocation by far," Djokovic said aft his triumph against Mensik.

"We knew that that infinitesimal is coming sooner than later, but it's inactive a shock, you know.

"Roger a fewer years ago, erstwhile helium announced retirement, and Andy arsenic good this year. I mean, it's a spot overwhelming for maine to beryllium honest.

"I don't cognize what to marque retired of it. I inactive bask competing. But portion of maine near with them, a large portion of me."

Serbia's Djokovic has won 24 Grand Slam titles - a men's grounds - and claimed a long-awaited Olympic golden earlier this year.

The 37-year-old volition look American satellite fig 7 Taylor Fritz successful Saturday's semi-final arsenic helium bids for a landmark 100th title.

Fritz, 26, comfortably bushed Belgium's David Goffin 6-3 6-4 connected Friday to publication his spot successful the past four. It extended a tally that has seen Fritz advancement past the 3rd circular for the archetypal clip successful Shanghai.

Djokovic, who volition present vie successful a 78th Masters 1,000 semi-final, said helium was motivated by matches against the upcoming generation.

"It keeps maine going, and pushes maine to truly excavation deep, and to amusement to the satellite that I've inactive got it successful my legs, that I tin inactive spell the region with the young guys," helium said.

"I'm ace gladsome that I managed to triumph this precise challenging match."

Mensik, 19, held his nervus successful the opening acceptable against Djokovic.

Yet Djokovic, a grounds four-time victor of the tournament, was capable to regroup aft a scrappy show successful the tie-break and breezed done the 2nd set, earlier putting the lucifer to furniture aft 2 hours and 21 minutes.

Although US Open runner-up Fritz mightiness supply a pugnacious trial for Djokovic, the decorated seasoned holds a 9-0 vocation grounds from their past meetings.

Fritz broke successful the 2nd and sixth games to instrumentality the opening acceptable against 66th-ranked Goffin.

Goffin looked stronger arsenic the lucifer continued, but helium could not rather find the aforesaid signifier that brought him triumph against 2nd effect Alexander Zverev successful the erstwhile round.

"I'm truly blessed with however I played," said Fritz.

"[Goffin's] specified an unthinkable returner, I had to enactment highly focused, adjacent much focused than mean connected my work games."

Saturday's archetypal singles semi-final features Italy's satellite fig 1 Jannik Sinner and Czech subordinate Tomas Machac, who bushed Carlos Alcaraz connected Thursday.