Novak Djokovic loses calm and match at Shanghai Masters

Djokovic lost control of his emotions, smashing his racket into pieces following the loss in the first set. The Serb unusual display continued when he tore his shirt open after losing a point. Chair umpire Carlos Bernardes was regularly visited by the 12-time Grand Slam winner over line calls and the time violation he was awarded for changing his ripped shirt. 

Djokovic has admitted that the last couple of years have left him exhausted, both mentally and physically. In his quarter-final match, the 29-year-old was heard humming to keep his anger under check. But when you finish with 29 unforced errors there is a slim chance that even the humming would work.

A season that began with so much promise as he completed the career grand slam by winning the French Open which has now ended terribly. A loss to Sam Querrey at Wimbledon was followed by an early exit to Juan Martín del Potro at the Rio Olympics. A final loss to Stan Wawrinka in the US Open final that followed seems to be the final straw for the 2016 French Open Champion.

“I had to experience sooner or later this. I knew I could not go on playing the highest level for so many years all the time, but it’s good to experience this so I can hopefully get better in the period to come,” the frustrated figure of Djokovic said.