ROLEX SHANGHAI MASTERS

October 2, 2025

Shang Juncheng

Mixed Zone

SHANG JUNCHENG/A. Kovacevic

6-4, 3-6, 6-3

Q. Talk about a hard-fought three-set win. You guys played in Lexington the previous time in 2022, that was a three-set battle in the semifinal. Just the same type of match, right?

SHANG JUNCHENG: Yeah, with him, playing a great friend, it's never easy. He's probably, for our height, one of the best servers in the world. His serve placements are unbelievable, and he hits very clean. So during the match there were some points that I'm losing that I don't even know why, that he was just hitting the ball so clean winners there, and forcing me to make an error.

But overall I think incredible effort from both of us. For me, playing very well and good attitude on the court, striking the ball well, so overall just very positive. I think, hopefully for him as well. It's never easy to lose, but I think both of us played very good.

Q. You seem like you served pretty well. You only faced one break point in the second set. 67 percent you won on the second serve. He only won 47. Seemed to be that was the key of the match. Could you talk about what you thought about that?

SHANG JUNCHENG: Yeah, I think serve has been a good feeling on the court. It's tough to serve with a heavy ball. In Shanghai and Beijing, both of these tournaments are quite slow, you know, the courts, and the ball gets fluffy. But overall I think I found a good rhythm, more placements instead of speed. I'm not the strongest guy ever, so I got to look for the placements and play really smart.

Q. Lastly, now you got the big man, Khachanov. It's your first meeting, and you're in the second round again, talk about how exciting that will be.

SHANG JUNCHENG: Yeah, Karen is a great guy. He's very funny off the court. I talk to him all the time. It's going to be fun, for sure. He's a big ball striker, so it's going to be heavy. And I mean, again, playing a top 10 is never easy to win, but I'll try my best. And enjoying the crowd, that's the most important for me right now.

(Questions and answers in Chinese.)

Q. (No microphone.)

SHANG JUNCHENG: It really saddens me to lose in Beijing. Practicing for three years in Beijing, I've yet to get my first win. It's the same case with doubles. Coming here, there's still a bit of lack of confidence, and I think the whole team has been working very hard in general in preparation for this match, so I think such hard efforts do pay off.

Q. From a technical point of view?

SHANG JUNCHENG: Technically I feel differently every day. I feel differently each day. Sometimes feeling better, sometimes less so. The key is to solve the technical problems with the right attitude. Today's serving was great. Baseline, forehand, backhand, movement were all smooth. Generally I don't see a big loophole, I don't see much loopholes there. Obviously the next round, playing a top-10 player is going to be tough, so I have to be ready. I will play tomorrow's doubles first, and also keep up the good work with the singles.

Q. You just said Khachanov was very strong, forehand and serving are both powerful and aggressive. For you, what do you need to do better to fight him?

SHANG JUNCHENG: He is 1.98 meters tall, so he could serve in big swings. His skill sets are very complete with agile movement, and his return of serves are above the average. He is a top 10 with a very steady performance. Of course, we have trained together before. I might be able to capture some of his loopholes. For example, he's not as flexible as I am, but his shots are powerful, so he will use his strong suits to hit me on my weakness, but we will see in the match. All in all, I need to adopt a positive attitude to enjoy the match, and that's what matters. I believe I can do it very well.

Q. Today the whole family is out to support you, but we don't see your dad. It's actually rare, isn't it? Does that affect you?

SHANG JUNCHENG: Well, it's a new challenge for me because my dad has always been with me since I was young. Regretfully, he's busy with something and cannot participate in the match with me. Of course, my coach, agent and grandma are here today, and many relatives, too. I'm very pleased to see my grandma, she's very optimistic and upbeat. After I got broken in the second set I saw her smiling, so that really fills me with joy to see her coming to watch me. Even if I was losing, she saw me working 100 percent, and that's what I've always wanted to do. I hope she's very happy to watch the whole match today.

Q. So you talked with her after the match? Could you shed some light on that conversation?

SHANG JUNCHENG: Just talked a little bit. As a tennis player, I'm always busy, and I'm sorry I can't be there with her often. After the end of this tournament I will make sure to find her. I want to see if we have time to have dinner together because I come back home very rarely, I come back to China very rarely, that gives me very little time to keep her company. So I want to take the opportunity to be with her a little bit more, which is good.

Q. At the Shanghai Rolex Masters yesterday, Zhang Zhizhen played, and almost all the Chinese players are competing in the first round today. However, Wu Yibing and Zhou Yi have both lost, unfortunately, so please tell us what's your mindset now?

SHANG JUNCHENG: It always feels bad to lose at the home court, but what matters more is what you do after the loss. I lost the first round in China Open. In the first set it was 6-0, so it was very smooth. In the second set, I broke first, but didn't secure a win at the end. However, I felt I did my best in the Beijing tournament 100 percent. The opponent was a little bit better than me, but that's okay. I was very frustrated that day. A player named Cameron Norrie asked me if I want to practice together. I said, Unfortunately, I have doubles to play. He also lost that day. I felt he was working very hard the second day. So if I would have won today's match, I would have a match tomorrow, and why don't I keep up the training if I lost.

So some international players are certainly role models for me to learn in that respect. Sometimes, after you lost, only by keeping doing what made you feel bad can help you make progress. I think after my loss I'll just go to the gym to work on my physicality, to compete on the doubles court, to keep training. These all help me a great deal and have also given me the confidence to win here. I believe hard work always pays off, it's just a matter of time.