WATCH: Novak Djokovic signs hopeful message of "good fortune" in Chinese ahead of Shanghai Masters final against Jannik Sinner

Novak Djokovic advanced to the final of the 2024 Shanghai Masters with a 6-4, 7-6(6) victory over seventh seed Taylor Fritz in the semifinals. Following the match that lasted nearly two hours, Djokovic delivered a message in Chinese.

After his win, the Serb engaged with the crowd by signing the on-court camera with the Chinese character "福," which translates to "blessing" or "good fortune."

Watch the video here:

This victory marks the Serb's fifth appearance in a Shanghai Masters final from ten appearances. He is now poised to secure his 100th ATP title, a milestone that would place him among the few legends who have achieved such a feat, such as Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103).

After a first-round bye, the former World No. 1 overcame Alex Michelsen with a score of 7-6(3), 7-6(9). The Serb then defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 6-2, Roman Safiullin 6-3, 6-2, and Jakub Mensik 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-4, leading up to his semifinal triumph over Fritz.

In a similar incident a few days ago, the 37-year-old marked his third-round win over Cobolli by signing the on-court camera with his newly acquired Chinese nickname, "Chicken." This nickname was introduced to the Serb during a lighthearted promotional video at the Shanghai Masters, where ATP players were shown their distinctive Chinese monikers.

Following his victory against Cobolli, the Serb humorously wrote the Chinese character for "Chicken" on the camera glass. He later posted a snapshot of his camera signature on his Instagram stories.

Screengrab of the Serb's Instagram story/@djokernole

In the final, the Serb will face top seed Jannik Sinner, who secured his spot by defeating Tomas Machac 6-4, 7-5. The championship match is scheduled for Sunday, October 13, 2024, at the Qizhong Stadium in Shanghai.

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Novak Djokovic eases expectations ahead of Shanghai Masters final against Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic at the Nitto ATP Finals (Image source: Getty)

During his post-match press conference following his semifinal win over Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic acknowledged Jannik Sinner's remarkable form over the past year, referring to him as the "best player in the world."

"Well, I won't share that with you, but as I said, he's in form the last 12 months," he said. "Best player in the world, incredible tennis, just so consistent, and player to beat, no doubt, particularly on hard court."

Djokovic mentioned that both he and Sinner are highly familiar with each other's playing styles, emphasizing that he will need to bring his absolute best to have a shot at winning the final.

"[Jannik Sinner] knows my game, I know his game. We haven't played since Australia this year. Yeah, I'm hoping for the best, you know, it's going to take my highest level to win," the Serb said.

This will be Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner's eighth meeting on the ATP tour, with the Serb having a slight lead in their head-to-head record, 4-3. They last met in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open, where eventual champion Sinner won 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3.