Novak Djokovic won and secured his seventh title at the China Open on Tuesday. This victory was achieved after Alex De Minaur was forced to leave the match due to an injury in the men's singles final in Beijing.
The 39-year-old athlete first won a tight first set with a score of 7-6 (3). However, in the second set, when De Minaur announced he could not continue due to a groin issue, the score was 1-0 in favor of Djokovic. In the first set, neither player managed to convert a break point.
The Australian world player, ranked 10th, created a break point in the fifth game, but Djokovic managed to avoid defeat with a powerful backhand shot. Then the Serb raised his level in the tie-break, capitalizing on De Minaur's errors to gain an early advantage, and closed out the set with momentum.
After the start of the match, both players received medical attention, and De Minaur returned to the court with a heavily bandaged left calf. The Australian managed to return a serve at the beginning of the second set but could not continue playing, leading to the premature end of the contest after 1 hour and 23 minutes.
After the match, Djokovic expressed sympathy for his opponent, calling the early final due to injury unfortunate. The 24-time Grand Slam champion stated: 'I hope it is nothing serious. He was playing at a very high level, especially in the first set.'
This victory marked a successful return for the 39-year-old player to Beijing; he participated in the China Open for the first time since 2015. He has now won all 34 matches he played at the tournament and lifted the trophy in each of his seven appearances.
Djokovic noted that the connection with the tournament and the local public made his return particularly significant. The former world number one shared his thoughts: 'This place has been incredibly special to me throughout my career. I have never lost here. I always felt immense support and love from the Chinese people.'
This triumph became the Serb's first title in 2026 and helped him secure his 102nd ATP Tour singles title. He has now won at least one Tour-level title in 21 consecutive seasons.
Djokovic added: 'It means a lot, especially at this stage of my career. When I feel physically well and when I find that feeling on court, I still believe I can compete with the best players and win tournaments.'
De Minaur expressed disappointment that he could not finish the match, despite putting pressure on the Serb in the first set. The Australian lamented: 'Obviously, this is not how you want a final to end. I tried to continue, but unfortunately, I couldn't.'
Next, Djokovic plans to focus on the Shanghai Masters, aiming to build on the success of his first tournament triumph of the season.