Novak Djokovic (Photo : Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic will hope to bring a different mindset when he begins his title defense at the Shanghai Rolex Masters 2016 against Italy's Fabio Fognini.
Djokovic returns to the tennis scene to defend his title at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. The top seed Djokovic, who is coming off an elbow injury that forced him to skip the China Open, will play Fognini in the second round of the tournament, with the 12-time Grand Slam winner bringing a renewed approach in playing the sport.
"My approach is just different," Djokovic said, reports the ATP's official website. "The last three months were up and down, a little bit with oscillations, but generally I didn't find that kind of satisfaction on the court, which is the very reason and the source of my motivation to play tennis... So that's my priority now, to get back into that inner joy and really feeling happy for being on the court, and everything else comes second and behind that."
After winning the French Open, Djokovic admitted he has been going through some personal issues that redefines the meaning of success in his career. But the Belgrade native has insisted he isn't worried about the past few months, expecting himself to switch to his "competitive mode" this week in Shanghai.
But it has been a while since Djokovic faced Fognini in a singles match, which could make things interesting for the Serb in their Round of 32 clash. Djokovic leads Fognini by 7-0 in their FedEx Head2Head matchup, but the last time they met was at the Australian Open back in 2014.
Fognini defeated Spain's Albert Vinolas Ramos in the opening round 7-5 6-3. Djokovic should still come up as a heavy-favorite to win against the world No. 50, but the Serb should be cautious about another potential early exit in a tournament.
Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov will open against France's Richard Gasquet in Round of 32 of the Shanghai Masters. Dimitrov, who is coming off a runner-up finish at the China Open, has never won against Gasquet in all of their five career matchups, but the Bulgarian's impressive form recently could give him a better chance against the Frenchman.
The winner between Dimitrov and Gasquet will face Canada's Vasek Pospisil, who defeated Ivo Karlovic in straight sets. Whoever advances could then face Djokovic or Fognini in Round of 16.
Live streaming info and score updates
Watch Novak Djokovic vs Fabio Fognini live via TennisTV. Live scores will be available during match time at the ATP's official website.
