Hubert Hurkacz defeats Novak Djokovic at the Shanghai Masters

Hubert Hurkacz defeated Novak Djokovic 6:4, 6:3 at the Shanghai Masters, securing a straight-sets victory that makes him just the fourth player in tennis history to defeat Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic on their preferred respective surfaces. Records show the win at the penultimate ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the season delivered Djokovic his worst-ever result in Shanghai, where the Serbian star has historically claimed four titles.

The Physical Toll in Shanghai

Djokovic entered the Shanghai hard-court tournament visibly fatigued following his title run at the China Open in Beijing. The demanding physical schedule caught up with the top player during the second-round encounter. Hurkacz capitalized on the fatigue to control the baseline exchanges and close out the match in straight sets, 6:4, 6:3. The defeat marks an unusually early exit for Djokovic at a venue where he holds deep championship pedigree.

Entering an Exclusive Club Against the Big Three

With this hard-court victory over Djokovic, Hurkacz joined an elite tier of competitors. Historical records confirm he is only the fourth player ever to secure wins against all three members of the traditional “Big Three” on their most successful surfaces: Roger Federer on grass, Rafael Nadal on clay, and Novak Djokovic on hard courts. The other three players to accomplish this rare feat are Andy Murray, Alexander Zverev, and Dominic Thiem.

The Road to a Complete Set of Victories

Hurkacz completed the rare trifecta after overcoming a demanding stretch of matches and physical setbacks. Just four days prior to facing Djokovic, the Polish player had been forced to withdraw from the China Open semifinals against Alex de Minaur due to physical issues. His journey toward this statistical milestone began at the 2021 Championships at Wimbledon, where he defeated Federer in straight sets during the quarterfinals—a match that ultimately proved to be Federer’s final professional appearance at the All England Club. Three years later, Hurkacz added the clay-court milestone by defeating Nadal 1:6, 3:6 during their lone career meeting on the ATP Tour at the 2024 Italian Open. Finally, the straight-sets win in Shanghai over Djokovic finalized his collection across grass, clay, and hard surfaces.