10 october 2024 : Novak Djokovic expressed his frustration with the chair umpire during his Shanghai Masters Round of 16 victory over Roman Safiullin. The world number one had a heated exchange with umpire Ignacio Forcadell regarding a new ATP rule. The rule, which automatically activates the shot clock without considering the time it takes for ball boys to bring towels, upset Djokovic. He argued that the change was made without notifying players and criticized the lack of training for the ball boys.
“I know it’s not up to you, but this rule change is unbelievable,” Djokovic said, clearly frustrated. “For four years, we managed with players getting their own towels, now the ball boys are doing it, but they’re not trained. The rule was adopted without informing the players, and it’s just unbelievable.”
Despite the outburst, Djokovic won the match 6-3, 6-2 and will face Jakub Mensik in the quarter-finals. He had a similar incident in his second-round win over Alex Michelsen, where he received a time violation after running out the shot clock.
After his win over Safiullin, Djokovic rated his performance highly, calling it one of his best in a while. He expressed his enjoyment of playing at a high level and praised the passionate Chinese fans. “These kinds of matches and sensations are why I keep playing,” he said, emphasizing his focus on maintaining consistency and enjoying his time off-court.