Novak Djokovic's temper flares as he argues with referee after receiving warning at Shanghai Masters | Tennis News

Novak Djokovic overcame a sluggish start and saved set points to beat Alex Michelsen 7-6 (3), 7-6 (9) in a thrilling second-round clash at the Shanghai Masters as the Serb claimed his 100th career title came closer. On the way to victory, Djokovic was not only tested by the NextGen American, but also had to overcome emotions as the 37-year-old lost his temper after a warning.

The incident occurred in the second set of the match when the world No. 4 received a time violation after running down the shot clock while trailing by 15:30. Djokovic was unhappy with the decision, let the ball bounce away, approached referee Mohamed Lahyani and questioned his decision. “Why are you doing this man? “Why are you doing this man?” he asked.

However, the referee quickly reminded him that the Shanghai Masters used an automatic shot clock that started three seconds after the previous shot ended, leaving players only 25 seconds to serve. Therefore, the referee has no control over delaying the start of the clock after the end of a long rally or due to crowd noise.

After the incident, commentator Nick Lester noted that the referee felt bad for giving Djokovic the warning. He said: “It was almost as if he didn’t want to do it. He said it in a whisper, didn't he? Mohamed Lahyani there. He knew what was coming.”

Co-commentator Arvind Palmer responded: “It’s not ideal, is it? But it's about enforcing the rules. That's half the problem, the rules aren't always enforced. Starts automatically, goes on for over 25 (seconds), what should you do.” ?”

However, Djokovic quickly recovered and served an ace before holding serve. and fought back again later in the set when Michelsen saved two set points in the decisive tiebreak.

“It was the first game against Alex and I hadn't played in a while, so it took a while to get the rust off,” said Djokovic, who has a record 35 wins in Shanghai. “He started off great; big serves and an aggressive style of tennis…he's not afraid to show it to his opponent.

“It was a very close encounter and I had a high level of tennis in both sets. I’m just happy to stay calm when it mattered most in the tiebreak in the second set.”

Djokovic, still wearing a protective covering over his right knee, will next face the winner of the match between 28th seed Flavio Cobolli and former Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka.