Novak Djokovic has lots of bills to pay as Serb makes unusual Shanghai Masters admission

Novak Djokovic made a winning return to competition on Friday, beating old foe Marin Cilic in his opening match at the Shanghai Masters. The No. 4 seed claimed a tight close set and then served lights out in the second to win 7-6(2) 6-4. But there were times when Djokovic appeared to be struggling, stretching in between games and muttering to his box.

The Serb has now admitted that he was "sweating a lot" on the court, and he's now prepared to pay some high laundry bills to have enough match kit to last him throughout the tournament in the humid conditions.

Djokovic is a four-time champion at the Shanghai Masters. He's also been competing at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena since 2007, when the venue was used to host the ATP Finals, then known as the Tennis Masters Cup.

But the 38-year-old admitted he had never played through such brutally humid conditions in Shanghai until now, and he's expecting to pay out so he can keep his clothes clean and fresh as the tournament goes on.

"It's crazy humid, to be honest. I don't recall the weather being so humid in China. I don't remember the last time I played in humidity like this," Djokovic said after reaching the third round.

"It is what it is, you know, it's the same for me, my opponent, and every other player. You just have to accept it, deal with it. A lot of sweating. The laundry bills will be quite high this week, but that's okay. Hopefully I can keep it going."

Djokovic, 38, and 37-year-old Cilic made history when they met in the second round on Friday. It was the oldest combined match in Masters 1000 history, though you wouldn't have known it.

Both men showed some of their best tennis. There was nothing separating them in the opening set. And Djokovic didn't drop any points on serve in the second set until the final game.

Djokovic has a long history with his Croatian rival. They have now faced off 22 times, with Djokovic holding a 20-2 record. Their first meeting came in 2008. They also have a good friendship off the court, and the Serb is hoping this won't be their last match.

He added: "Today before the match I thought about the combined age of me and Marin. It's 75. So that's a lot.

"Hopefully we can play a few more, make more records. But, yeah, I think we both performed like we were maybe 15 years younger, which is good. We keep challenging each other, but also the young guys on the tour.

"At the end of the day, age doesn't matter when you walk out on the court, you have to find a way to win, so that's the end game."

Djokovic will now face a player he's less familiar with. The fourth seed meets German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann in the third round. Their only prior meeting came in Geneva last year, which Djokovic won in straight sets.