Despite not being at his physical best, the 38-year-old Serbian extended his dominance on the ATP Masters 1000 stage, becoming the oldest semi-finalist in Masters 1000 history.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Djokovic, who endured a leg issue and heat-related exhaustion in his fourth-round victory over Jaume Munar, was again made to work hard under testing conditions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The World No. 5 appeared to be struggling with discomfort in his left foot during the opening set but dug deep to clinch his 80th Masters 1000 semi-final appearance - another record in his illustrious career.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Serbian looked poised to seal victory when he broke Bergs to lead 5-4 in the second set, but the 26-year-old Belgian, playing his first ATP Head2Head match against Djokovic, showed impressive resolve to immediately break back.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
What followed was one of the most thrilling exchanges of the tournament - Djokovic surviving four smashes and a daring volley from Bergs before reclaiming the break in a pulsating rally. This time, he made no mistake serving out the match to claim his milestone win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI was just trying to stay alive to be honest on the court,\u201d Djokovic admitted afterward. \u201cMy first encounter with Bergs. He\u2019s a great guy. Obviously, a lot of firepower in his game. At times, I just tried to play an extra ball in the court and make him miss the ball, and that\u2019s what happened. I should have closed out the match at 5-4. He played a good game, again I was a little bit too passive.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Having battled through another gruelling encounter, Djokovic acknowledged the challenge of adapting to the conditions in Shanghai. \u201cVery challenging conditions these days for all the players, and I was just trying to stay alive on the court. I\u2019m glad to overcome this hurdle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI was just trying to stay alive to be honest on the court,\u201d Djokovic admitted afterward. \u201cMy first encounter with Bergs. He\u2019s a great guy. Obviously, a lot of firepower in his game. At times, I just tried to play an extra ball in the court and make him miss the ball, and that\u2019s what happened. I should have closed out the match at 5-4. He played a good game, again I was a little bit too passive.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Standing between Djokovic and another Shanghai final will be Valentin Vacherot, the Monegasque qualifier who stunned 10th seed Holger Rune 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 earlier in the day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n