Novak Djokovic's Nine-Word Message After Losing to World 204 Speaks Volumes

Tennis legend Novak Djokovic sent a clear message to his opponent following his shock loss at the Shanghai Masters.

After the final Grand Slam event of the year at the US Open last month, several of the biggest names in tennis decided to participate in the Shanghai Masters.

Following the qualifying matches, the early games in the tournament got underway last week, with top seeds like Djokovic and world number two Jannik Sinner joining later in the round of 64.

Djokovic picked up comfortable wins over each of his early opponents, making it to a semi-final against world no. 204 Valentin Vacherot on Saturday morning.

But things didn't go exactly to plan for Djokovic, as he ended up losing the match before sending a clear message to his opponent ahead of his meeting with Arthur Rinderknech in the final.

Djokovic shook hands with Vacherot after the match. (Image: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Vacherot continued his already impressive run through the Shanghai Masters as he beat an injured Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in his first match against a top-five opponent, becoming the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 finalist.

The Monegasque player made the most of the situation he found himself in as Djokovic appeared to struggle with his left gluteal muscle almost as soon as the match began.

In his run to the final, Vacherot, who entered qualifying for the competition as the second-lowest direct entrant, has picked up wins over No 14 seed Alexander Bublik, 10th seed Holger Rune, the 10th seed and, of course, Djokovic, who was the fourth seed.

And it appears that Djokovic is just as impressed as everyone else at Vacherot's spectacular story in Shanghai, as he had nothing but good things to say to his opponent following the shock result.

"You deserve it. You played unbelievable. Keep it going," he told the 26-year-old after the match.

Replying, Vacherot said: "Such a pleasure to play at least once against you. Don't retire."

Djokovic received medical treatment during his match against Valentin Vacherot. (Image: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Speaking on-court after the win, the youngster added: "“This is just crazy. It was an hour and 40 minutes of pure joy, even though not many people wanted me to keep going.

"He’s really appreciated here. I got a bit lost in all his titles when they were announcing him, but it was an unreal experience.”

Djokovic had been attempting to become the oldest Masters 1000 champion, having already become the oldest quarter-finalist at this level.

But at 38 years old, it's clear that his body got the better of him, leaving Vacherot with the chance of making history and beating Rinderknech in the final on Sunday morning.