Novak Djokovic's true character on show with gesture after Shanghai Masters exit

Novak Djokovic showed his true colours by making a love heart gesture with his hands to fans at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena after his Shanghai Masters exit. The Serbian tennis great was ousted in the semi-finals of the tournament after suffering a 6-3 6-4 loss to Valentin Vacherot on Saturday.

However, Djokovic showed the utmost class when he received a standing ovation as he left the court in the wake of his defeat, waving to fans and gesturing his adoration for their support. Vacherot was also seen joining in the applause as Djokovic walked on with his bags hoisted over his shoulders, before he was pictured signing balls, caps and shirts for fans by the side of the arena. It was a stellar showing from the 38-year-old, who has achieved more than anyone else at the ATP tournament.

The legendary player holds the record for the most wins at the Shanghai Masters, with four titles to his name, and the respect he received at the event this week was well-deserved. Djokovic entered the fray as one of the favourites on Friday, crusing through the round of 64 and round of 32 with wins over Marin Cilic and Yannick Hanfmann with relative ease.

However, his round of 16 clash with Jaume Munar caused concern among fans worldwide, when Djokovic collapsed on the court and threw up. The 24-time Grand Slam winner struggled with the heat and humidity of Shanghai, as he had his vitals checked in between sets.

Meanwhile, Djokovic required a medical timeout just 3-1 into the first set, as he grimaced in pain and seemed to suffer from an injury to his left leg. Against all the odds, Djokovic somehow managed to close out a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over his German opponent to advance to the quarter-finals.

While he refused to take part in media duties after the match, he did take to Instagram to update his fans about the match. There, he wrote: "Tough day at the office. Very challenging physically. Luckily, I have the greatest support in the world."

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Djokovic then closed out a 6-3 7-5 win over Zizou Bergs in the quarter-finals to set up a semi-final showdown with ATP No. 204, Vacherot. While many fans will have saw Djokovic as a clear victor going into the match, the tale didn't quite play out as planned on the courts.

Vacherot stunned Djokovic to book his place in the tournament's final, before remaining humble in his post-match interview. He said: "I don't know how long it went, it was one hour, 40 [minutes] of pure joy even though not many people wanted me to keep going.

"He's really, really, really appreciated here, he's won four times, I think, if I heard. I got a bit lost in all of his titles when they were announcing him. But unreal experience, and now I'm probably just going to enjoy the win tonight and think about the final tomorrow."

As a result of his win, Vacherot will now face either Daniil Medvedev or Arthur Rinderknech in Sunday's final - dependent on the outcome of their semi-final clash.