The 2024 Rolex Shanghai Masters will be the 13th edition of the event and while the number is considered unlucky in spiritual terms, it is not for Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
The No. 1 and No. 4 seeds will meet in the final. In another dimension, No. 1 is Djokovic, No. 4 is Sinner, but at the present time, there has been a reversal.
After defeating Tomas Machac in the semi-finals, Sinner - 23 years old, has secured himself the award for world number 1 tennis player at the end of the year, something Djokovic has won 8 times in his career.
For Djokovic, 37, the ranking is no longer important to him at this point, after setting a record of 428 weeks at the top of the world men's tennis rankings.
This year, on the ATP front, Djokovic has not won any championship. The Serbian player has only reached the final once - at Wimbledon and lost to Carlos Alcaraz.
But for Nole, just an Olympic gold medal is enough (beating Alcaraz in the final) to ensure his career has a "career golden slam" - winning 4 Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympics.
In contrast, 2024 was Sinner's most successful year, with 6 championships, including Australian Open, Rotterdam, Miami, Halle, Cincinnati, US Open. Today could be the 7th victory.
If he does, Sinner will become the first Italian to win the Shanghai Masters. But Djokovic will not stand by and watch his junior come and take the trophy.
He will also have the important milestone of his 100th career title - his fifth at the Shanghai Masters, if he wins at Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.
MATCH SCHEDULE
15:30: Jannik Sinner - Novak Djokovic
