Novak Djokovic put up another one of those gusty back-to-the-wall performances at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday.The 38-year-old rallied from a set down to defeat Yannick Hanfmann 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in a game full of drama.Nobody looked more delighted than Novak Djokovic after another win in ShanghaiGettyDjokovic had to battle illness, vomiting on Center Court as a result of the brutal humid heat in Shanghai.The Serbian, who has won the 1000 title four times in his illustrious career but not since 2018, spoke about the conditions which put him on the brink of elimination at the hands of his German qualifier opponent.“It’s the same for every player out on the court, but it’s brutal,” Djokovic told reporters.“It’s brutal when you have over 80 per cent of humidity day after day, particularly for the guys when they’re playing during the day with heat, with sun, it’s even more brutal.“For me, biologically it’s a bit more challenging to deal with it. But I had to really weather the storm today. Yannick played an incredible match from the beginning.”Along with a place in the round of 16, Djokovic was also rewarded with a bit of history as this win served as his 52nd career victory from a set down at the Masters 1000 level, the most of any player since it’s format introduction in 1990.Is 2025 Djokovic’s last season on tour?Djokovic’s thrillers in Shanghai have begged the question why the 38-year-old is still participating in these gruelling competitions, especially after claiming that only “Grand Slams” is his priority.The answer may lie in his future plans according to former world no.8 and Wimbledon semifinalist John Isner.“If he wasn’t planning on playing a similar type of schedule he played this year next year, he would not be playing Shanghai. I think too much time off for him would be a big detriment,” Isner said on an episode of the “Nothing Major” podcast.“As you get older, as you guys well know, I believe this is at least my experience, the more time off you take, big chunks of time off, the harder it is for me to recover. You need to at least try to play a little bit.Djokovic survived a scare having been a set down but as usual he rallied to win the matchGETTYDjokovic spoke at length about the brutal conditions in ShanghaiGetty“So I think that’s what he’s doing. Shanghai’s always attracted the top players. Federer always played it.“Maybe it had something to do with Rolex or something. I don’t know, but Djokovic is out there playing.“It will be interesting to see what he does after Shanghai. Last year, he decided not to play Turin, did not play Paris either or anything in the fall, I believe. I think I said last year we would see him in Turin. We didn’t, but we’ll see.”Isner’s rationale is logical, it would be extremely risky for Djokovic to have ended his season after the US Open and only appear at the Australian Open next year.Djokovic still one of tennis’ top playersOne thing it appears to confirm is the likelihood of Djokovic calling it quits in 2025 is almost zero.With his constant appreciation of fans on the tour and the smile on his face while playing, it feels impossible that the 24-time Grand Slam champions bids farewell anytime soon.Despite being 38 years old Novak Djokovic has remained as one of the best players in the worldGettyIt should be noted that Djokovic sits at 5th in the world in ATP rankings, a gentle reminder of here he stands among his peers.Djokovic is also the only player above 30 years of age in the top 25 and he is behind only Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the year-long ATP race, a measure of a player’s 12-month achievements.“It’s incredible to be here playing in front of a very passionate crowd. First couple matches, packed stadium, one of the nicest and biggest stadiums we have in sports,” Djokovic said after getting his 33rd win of the season.“So it’s stunning, honestly, I cannot ask for more. I’m grinding for almost three hours, third round of a Masters at 38 with the full stadium cheering my name. “It’s a dream come true for me so I’m very thankful.” Djokovic’s hopes of ending a two-year long wait for a Masters title may also have never been better.With no Alcaraz and Sinner in the draw, he is the highest ranked player in the field and world no.11 Holger Rune is the highest player he would face en route to the final.On the opposite side of the draw, Lorenzo Musetti and Alex de Minaur are the only other members of the world top 10 in the field.