That exception came in the final of the Paris Olympics, where Djokovic pulled on his ultimate game face to edge past Alcaraz and end a 20-year Olympic jinx. His first gold medal meant so much to him that he called it the “biggest achievement in his career”.

Otherwise, though, Djokovic has lost eight out of nine sets against Sinner and Alcaraz this year, starting with what proved to be a season-defining meeting with Sinner at the Australian Open in January. In the semi-final of that event, Djokovic unexpectedly “laid an egg” – to borrow one of John McEnroe’s favourite phrases – as he sprayed unforced errors in all directions.

Djokovic now finds himself in a fascinating position. He has achieved every goal, except perhaps the 25th major that would put him above Margaret Court in the all-time standings. But nobody seriously believes that Court’s record, which was gained at a time when few overseas players travelled to Melbourne for her native Australian Open, is the equal of his.

How does he now motivate himself for the new season, especially after the last of his contemporaries – Rafael Nadal – announced his imminent retirement on Thursday? As Djokovic said that day: “It’s a bit overwhelming for me. I don’t know what to make out of it. I still enjoy competing but part of me left with them, a big part of me.”

The off-season will be telling, because it takes huge commitment to put yourself through all the physical work required to get ready for the new year in Australia. And there must be a question mark over whether Djokovic can beat these young pretenders over the best of five sets.

Even in his breathtaking performance in the Olympic final, he was working supremely hard to blunt Alcaraz’s all-court game, eventually edging the match by a 7-6, 7-6 margin. Had he needed to win another set, his 38 years might have started to tell.

On Sunday in Shanghai, Djokovic played a strong first set but was less clinical at the net than Sinner, and also found himself overpowered on his formerly world-beating backhand side, where Sinner averaged 71mph to his own 68: a small difference, perhaps, but one that adds up over the course of the match.