‘Destined’ Novak Djokovic wins China Open, extending unbeaten record

BEIJING – Tennis great Novak Djokovic credited his “never-die spirit” for carrying him to the 102nd title of his career in winning the China Open on Oct 6 when his opponent Alex de Minaur retired injured from the final.

With the win, the 39-year-old Serbian extended a perfect record to 34 wins in as many matches for his seventh title in Beijing – his first since 2015.

Djokovic said afterwards that in more than two decades as a professional player, “the grit and the dedication and the kind of never-die spirit that really is always with me” have carried him through.

Tennis is “quite a cruel sport” with players competing in knockout tournaments year-round, he told reporters, adding that the stakes and pressure of performing in front of fans made the sport “so demanding and so special”.

“You can feel so much weight on your shoulders, but it is what I have been destined to do,” he said.

In front of a jam-packed stadium, he won the first set in the tiebreak 7-6 (7-3) and was down a game in the second set when the Australian ended the match early.

“I always want to visualise myself with the trophy, particularly here in Beijing,” Djokovic said during the trophy ceremony.

“But I was also quite aware that reality is a little bit different these days,” he said, adding that it had been a challenging year with “physical and health issues”.

“I was just trying to find the good feeling on the court,” he said.

The first set was a physical battle that lasted more than one hour, and both men needed medical timeouts before the second.

De Minaur, the world No. 9, won the first game of the second set before retiring due to a left adductor strain.

The 27-year-old had walked back onto the court after his medical timeout with a white wrap around his left thigh.

“I don’t feel great,” he told the crowd afterwards. “I want to say sorry to the amazing fans that came to watch... I didn’t want to finish like this.”

De Minaur advanced to the final after his opponent Hubert Hurkacz retired injured from their semi-final on Oct 5, while Djokovic moved through when Daniil Medvedev was disqualified for hitting a fan with a ball.

But the 24-time Grand Slam champion put on a valiant show to lift the trophy, ousting top seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-final after defeating home hope Bu Yunchaokete in a demanding three-set match.

It means Djokovic will end the season with at least one title for the 21st consecutive year, and as the oldest man to win a singles final after Ken Rosewall in Hong Kong in 1977 at age 43.

De Minaur, who is scheduled to play next at the Shanghai Masters, where he reached the 2025 quarter-finals and which kicks off on Oct 7, intends to head there for scans. 

He said he had been pleased with his form in Beijing. “Everything except for the end was really positive,” he added.

“There was a lot of good tennis. I played some great stuff. Felt amazing on the court.”

‘Really grateful’

In the women’s draw, Karolina Muchova beat former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka on her ninth match point to reach the quarter-finals, triumphing in a tense tiebreak.

Muchova, the seventh seed, overcame 50 unforced errors across the 2hr 52min match to beat Osaka 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (9-7).

Osaka, who represents Japan, saved eight match points but could not get past Muchova’s match-winning volley.

“I was shaking. I’m happy I made the last volley... Naomi could be standing here,” the 30-year-old Czech player told the crowd.

“It’s me, and I’m really grateful for it.”

She next faces compatriot Nikola Bartunkova.

Earlier, Russia’s Mirra Andreeva beat Ukraine’s Daria Snigur 6-2, 6-2 to book her quarter-final spot against compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Alexandrova, ranked 28th, upset Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-2, ending the Czech player’s bid to return to the Beijing final that she had reached in 2025. REUTERS