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Serbian tennis great Novak Djokovic leads a movement session on the track at Lusail International Circuit ahead of the Formula One Qatar Grand Prix.**media[387156]**

Novak Djokovic banished exhaustion and played through an ankle injury scare to make it to the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters Tuesday, beating Spain's Jaume Munar 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.The victory keeps Djokovic on track as the favourite to take a record-extending fifth title in the Chinese financial hub, with other top seeds already withdrawn or knocked out.The 38-year-old almost looked like he might not be able to continue when the match went to a decider, but conjured up the energy to break his decade-younger opponent twice in the third set."Thank you, thank you everyone, I love you!" he shouted in Chinese to the adoring crowd before leaving court almost immediately after play finished.The 24-time Grand Slam champion had a good start, breaking in the fourth game, but shortly afterwards had to take a medical break when his left ankle slid out behind him as he rushed towards the net.He grimaced in pain as he was attended to by an on-court physio, but managed to resume to hold the fifth game.Djokovic received treatment briefly again during a break in play in the second set, and looked increasingly fatigued, crouching over frequently in between rallies.Serbian-flag-waving Chinese fans roared in support, but 41st-ranked Munar ultimately broke in the 12th game after an unforced error from his opponent.An agonised Djokovic dropped to the floor and remained splayed out on court with his chest heaving, as his team rushed over.But he picked himself up and in the third set had an incredible revival, breaking in the first and seventh games and sending the stadium into a frenzy.Djokovic is the highest-ranking player left in the competition.World number one Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament to rest, and second, third and fourth-ranked Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz have all been eliminated.The event in Shanghai has been beset by injuries, as players have battled temperatures of over 30 Celsius and humidity levels peaking at over 80 percent.Sinner was forced to retire on Sunday after being seized with extreme cramps.World number 11 Holger Rune, who has also struggled with the conditions, called on Tuesday for tennis authorities to bring in a heat policy for events like Shanghai.The Dane is through to the last eight after he took out France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3.Zizou Bergs and Gabriel Diallo took it down to the wire in their match, with the Belgian eventually prevailing in a prolonged third set tiebreak 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10/8).

Novak Djokovic said he had been "hanging by a rope" before battling through to the Shanghai Masters last 16 with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over qualifier Yannick Hanfmann Sunday.The 38-year-old Serb is looking to win a record-extending fifth title in Shanghai but was given a mighty scare by the 150th-ranked German.Djokovic fired two aces to start, delighting the crowd, but soon ran into trouble as Hanfmann found his range.The German broke in the third game and held serve after that to clinch the first set."I was just outplayed by a better player for a set and a half -- I was hanging by a rope to stay in the match," Djokovic said.Neither player was able to take control of a gruelling second set, until a series of unforced errors from Hanfmann in the 12th game gave Djokovic the opening he needed.Sweating in 28 C humidity at 9:00 pm, the 24-time Grand Slam champion then broke in the fourth game of the third set as his 33-year-old opponent's precision dropped.Cheered on by a stadium full of adoring fans, Djokovic held his resolve to take the third set after Hanfmann hit the ball out."I had to dig in really, really deep to come out from this match as a winner, and I think the energy and support of the crowd really got me out," Djokovic said.The United States' Taylor Fritz was not so lucky, becoming the highest-ranked player to be dumped out so far after he fell to 37th-ranked Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 7-5.On a hot afternoon, the world number four seemed lethargic and struggled to get into his stride, unnerved after Mpetshi Perricard nearly broke twice in the fifth game.That preempted a streak of brilliance that saw the neon orange-clad Frenchman fire three aces to hold the sixth, then break in the seventh.A closely fought second set came to a head in the 11th game when a double fault by Fritz handed Mpetshi Perricard the advantage, which he swiftly converted with a backhand.Finishing the match off with two aces, the big-serving 22-year-old said he could be proud of himself."It was tough to be honest, tough conditions, very humid," he said."The game at 5-5 (in the second set), it was terrible. I thought I was dying on the court," he chuckled.Mpetshi Perricard will next face 11th-ranked Dane Holger Rune, who beat France's Ugo Humbert, 6-4, 6-4.reb/pst

Novak Djokovic vowed to "continue fighting" for Grand Slam titles after his US Open semi-final exit to Carlos Alcaraz on Friday. Djokovic, whose dream of a record 25th Grand Slam title ended in a straight-sets loss to Alcaraz, pledged to keep playing next year."I'm not giving up on Grand Slams, I'm going to continue fighting," the 38-year-old Serbian legend said after his 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 defeat. "I still want to play a full Grand Slam season next year. They are just different from any other tournament. They are the pillars of our sport."Djokovic had warned before Friday's semi-final he would need to be in peak physical condition to stand a chance of toppling the 22-year-old Alcaraz. The Spaniard has dominated men's tennis alongside Italian world number one Jannik Sinner in recent seasons, with the duo splitting the last seven Grand Slam tournaments between them.However Djokovic said he had faded after running Alcaraz close in the opening two sets in Friday's semi-final. "I ran out of gas after the second set," he said. "I think I had enough energy to battle him and to keep up with his rhythm for two sets. After that I was gassed out, and he kept going," he added, stating that competing with his much younger rivals in future was only going to get more challenging."I'm happy with my level of tennis, but you know, it's just the physicality of it," Djokovic said. "As I said after the quarter-finals, I'm going to do my very best to get my body in shape to sustain that level and that rhythm for as many hours as it's needed, but it wasn't enough. That's something I, unfortunately at this point in time in my career, can't control. I can do only as much as I can do. It will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner, Alcaraz, in the best-of-five on the Grand Slams. I think I have a better chance best-of-three, but best-of-five, it's tough."Djokovic though said he had no problem coming off second best to the duo who have collectively become known as "Sincaraz". "It's never fun losing a tennis match, but at the same time, if I'm to lose to someone, I would lose to these two guys," Djokovic said. "I know that they are just better at the moment. You just have to hand it to them and say, 'Well done.'"His next stop on the ATP Tour will be in Athens and Djokovic said it was too soon to say whether he would play at Melbourne Park next year. "At least at this stage of my career, I mean, I'm not thinking that far," he told reporters. "I still want to play Grand Slams, Grand Slam season, full Grand Slam season next year. Let's see whether that's going to happen or not."