Djokovic opens his Shanghai Masters campaign against Jeremy Chardy on Tuesday - live on Sky Sports Action & Main Event from 6am
Monday 8 October 2018 13:21, UK
Novak Djokovic says he is "grateful" to be in position fighting for the year-end world No 1 after a glorious return to top form.
The Shanghai Masters 1000 could have a significant bearing on determining who will finish the year in pole position and the Serb has hit form at the right time having endured a difficult start to the year.
Djokovic took time to recover from a long-standing elbow injury which required surgery, but has since climbed 19 spots up to No 3 after winning two majors and the Cincinnati Masters.
"If you told me four of five months ago that I'd be in this position, fighting for a year number one and having two Grand Slams, a Cincinnati win and some big results on the grass. I mean, it would be amazing to sign that off right away but it seemed a bit unrealistic at the time, so I'm very grateful, really, to get this far and I just try to keep it up," the 31-year-old said.
Defending champion Roger Federer and the Wimbledon and US Open champion Djokovic are the top two seeds respectively in China, with Rafael Nadal still resting through injury.
Federer, Djokovic and former No 1 Andy Murray are the only players to have won the Shanghai title since 2009 and there are strong odds on the pair meeting in Sunday's final.
The field is stacked with some places still up for the grabs for the end-of-season ATP Finals in London.
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Tennis is back on Sky Sports screens with the Japan Open & China Open in October while we will also have coverage of the ATP Finals in November with every match live on Sky Sports.
