Djokovic Returns to Shanghai as Motivation and Workload Debate Rages

Novak Djokovic will return to competition at the Shanghai Masters this week as debate continues over his motivation and workload after a season in which the 38 year old reached the semifinals at all four majors but failed to add to his 24 Grand Slam titles. The Serbian, who won his 100th career ATP title in Geneva, is scheduled to open in Shanghai against Marin Cilic, and his presence has intensified discussion about how the demands of the tour and tournament formats are shaping the twilight of his career.

Djokovic has been stopped repeatedly this year by two younger rivals, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, losing to Sinner at the French Open and Wimbledon and to Alcaraz at the US Open. After the loss in New York, Djokovic acknowledged the physical toll of best of five set matches, saying, "I ran out of gas after the second set. I think I had enough energy to battle him and keep up with his rhythm for sets. After that, I was gassed out and he kept going." He has also said publicly that players have discussed reorganizing the calendar for more than 15 years and that "players are still not united enough" to make meaningful change.

Former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, speaking in a...