Shanghai Masters: Roger Federer beaten but Novak Djokovic into final against Borna Coric

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Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic will play world number 19 Borna Coric in Sunday's final

Roger Federer was beaten by Croatia's Borna Coric in the Shanghai Masters semi-finals but Novak Djokovic reached Sunday's final with a dominant victory.

Swiss 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer, who will be replaced by Djokovic as world number two on Monday, lost 6-4 6-4 to Coric.

Serb Djokovic thrashed German world number five Alexander Zverev 6-2 6-1 in just over an hour to reach the final.

It will be Coric's first final at a Masters 1000 tournament.

Djokovic, 31, is on a 17-match winning streak, a run that includes titles at the US Open and Cincinnati Masters.

The Wimbledon champion last lost a match in the Rogers Cup third round on 10 August.

"Being number two after this tournament is also a great achievement, considering the first four, five months of the year and considering I had the [elbow] surgery," said 14-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic.

"Where I was about four months ago and where I am today is quite an extreme opposite.

"I'm just cherishing that achievement and every moment spent on the court."

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  • Comment posted by 42, at 18:05 13 Oct 2018

    You can learn so much from these comments

    Poulter plays tennis
    Missing a tournament is a reason to “loathe” a tennis player
    There are players called Nedal and Djockavic
    There are a zillion people over the age of 37 on earth, no wonder it’s getting a tad warm?

    I shall retire educated and relieved that I don’t have to actually meet the turnips that comment on these boards.

  • Comment posted by Jeanne Elise, at 17:22 13 Oct 2018

    So .... Roger Federer at 37 made it to the semi-final. How many guys, nearly half his age DIDN'T make it to the semi-final ? A zillion, that's how many. Why don't we praise the heck out of this guy instead of moaning and groaning about his "failure" ? He's an incredible inspiration and his accomplishment should be seen in a POSITIVE light. Come on, Everybody!

  • Comment posted by Finlay, at 17:28 13 Oct 2018

    Djokovic will probably come close to winning the 4 slams next season which would take him to 18! Nadal might still claim the french but he’s picking up injuries frequently but you wouldn’t rule him out winning his 12th french!

  • Comment posted by theresam, at 17:53 13 Oct 2018

    Fed yet again makes it to a semifinal - I call that brilliant going. Well done Coric - now see if you can consolidate your win by taking out Novak! It would be so good if we could start to see some names coming through that would make us think that there is something to look forward to after the likes of Fed, Djokovic & Nadal retire!

  • Comment posted by LivingDeadGrrrl, at 17:18 13 Oct 2018

    I'm sad that Roger couldn't reach the final here, but congratulations to Borna Coric. At least a new name has got to the final of a more prestigious tournaments.
    While Sasha is a good player, I do believe he's somewhat one dimensional and over-rated. Players like Novak will work him out and beat him comfortably, as shown today.

  • Comment posted by Rafa1986, at 17:17 13 Oct 2018

    Good on Coric.

  • Comment posted by Dystopia, at 18:18 13 Oct 2018

    Federer looked tired all week and just about scraped through his previous rounds so no surprise Coric beat him today as Feds was running on empty and just couldn't handle Coric's serve and all round game. If Feds wins the 1st set he stands a chance of winning against most players but these days (at 37) if he loses the 1st set, he just doesn't have the energy or belief to fight back

  • Comment posted by Al, at 01:06 14 Oct 2018

    Fed is amazing. At his age there aren't, or will be many who can achieve what he has... However I feel next year will probably be his last on tour.

  • Comment posted by amaurobius, at 22:51 13 Oct 2018

    @31 "Federer lost deliberately, he didn't want to face Djokovic and lose again. Same story as US Open."

    If that were true, Fed would at least have made it close. Nope. He just got outplayed today.

    Congratulations to Coric who played superbly and hardly missed a first serve. Croatia v Serbia in the final could be tasty. If Coric can repeat that level of performance he's in with a shout.

  • Comment posted by Glasnost UK, at 22:22 13 Oct 2018

    Disappointed that Roger lost as I was looking forward to the Fed v Djoko final but congratlations to young Coric who played well today and deserved to win.

    As long as Roger can keep/stay in the top 10, he should carry on playing as he still has a lot to offer to the sport.

  • Comment posted by Lebeard, at 04:19 14 Oct 2018

    I had Borna tagged as a bit of a standout back 2016 but he then seemed to stagnate through 2017. I'm glad to see him on the move again. Somebody needs to provide Zhverev with a rivalry for the future.

  • Comment posted by Seen it all before, at 02:32 14 Oct 2018

    5. Posted by Finlay "Djokovic will probably come close to winning the 4 slams next season which would take him to 18". If he "comes close" to winning slams he will still be on 14, surely ? He would have to "actually win" 4 slams, not come close. Think about it !

  • Comment posted by mch, at 15:12 14 Oct 2018

    Well done to Djokovic, and to Coric for reaching the final. RF looked very good against Nishikori, but could not quite deliver in the semifinal. It is no disrespect to suggest that the great man just might be thinking beyond tennis. Time catches up on all great sportsmen eventually. Nobody before or since has matched RF's best, but 11 years have passed since AO 2007.

  • Comment posted by Fabby, at 23:23 13 Oct 2018

    Coric is proving to be Fed's kryptonite at the moment. Very good display. About time these younger male players started to threaten the established order. Now let's see what he can do against the undisputed best player in the world at present, Djoko.

  • Comment posted by LivingDeadGrrrl, at 21:51 13 Oct 2018

    @35 - The days when Roger (and Pete/Andre before) used the old 88/90in racquets, you had to be talented to hit the ball hard, yet keep the unforced errors down. As they got bigger with a greater margin for error, it became easier to rely on power and not finesse. I'd like to see the courts sped up and the racquet head shrunk back to those sizes again.

  • Comment posted by Tennis11, at 13:03 14 Oct 2018

    Slow, medium or fast hard courts makes no difference as Djokovic is, quite simple, the King of Hard Courts (just as Fed and Nadal rule on the grass and clay respectively). What an era we are witnessing, and what a comeback year Djokovic has had - never to be seen again.

  • Comment posted by Oudinot, at 12:33 14 Oct 2018

    As we're currently unable to comment on Novak's superb victory yet, I would add that its great we have such legends of tennis still playing at the top of their game into their mid-late 30's because of Sport Science, nutrition, training technology etc. That "bright young star" who will finally send eclipse Nadal, Federer and Djok is yet to appear; and that's a worry, however.

  • Comment posted by Oudinot, at 12:25 14 Oct 2018

    Fantastic period of tennis we are in- so many all-time greats still fighting, still un-toppled from their thrones. Great stuff. I'd even extend that to "she who cannot be commented upon".

  • Comment posted by Simone, at 00:06 14 Oct 2018

    I love Roger but actually feared for him had he faced the Serbian. Fingers crossed for a Coric win!

  • Comment posted by LivingDeadGrrrl, at 23:06 13 Oct 2018

    @46 - Yes the racquet tensions are different now, but the string composition is different too. Federer still uses a mix of gut with the poly strings, but the pure poly string set up gives more tension. Interestingly, Roger uses different tensions depending on surface, air pressure, altitude, humidity etc, where Rafa uses the same tension every match. Roger is very scientific with his strings.

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