Djokovic Wins Seventh Beijing Title

Novak Djokovic won the men’s China Open in Beijing for a seventh time on Tuesday, 6 October, when Alex de Minaur of Australia retired from the final early in the second set, meaning he stopped because he was hurt and could not go on. Djokovic had won the first set 7⁠–⁠6(3) and De Minaur the first game of the second, so the score was 7⁠–⁠6(3), 0⁠–⁠1 when the match ended (ATP Tour; ESPN).

It is the 102nd title of Djokovic’s career at tour level, the main men’s circuit, one short of Roger Federer’s 103; Jimmy Connors, with 109, is the only man with more. It is also his first title of 2026 and his first since Athens last November, and the ATP says it makes him the first man in the Open Era, the sport’s professional era, to win a tour-level title in 21 seasons in a row. He is now 34⁠–⁠0 at the China Open, where he also won in 2009, 2010 and every year from 2012 to 2015 (ATP Tour; Mint).

De Minaur, 27 and ranked ninth, made Djokovic work for the first set. At 2⁠–⁠2 Djokovic faced a break point, a chance for De Minaur to win a game on Djokovic’s serve, and saved it with a backhand passing winner that drew a roar from the 15,000 fans. He then won the tie-break, the deciding game played at six games all, by seven points to three. Both players had treatment from the physio after the set. De Minaur left the court for his, came back to start the second set and won its first game, then could not continue (ATP Tour). “I want to say sorry to all the amazing fans who came to watch this match,” De Minaur said. “I didn’t want to finish like this, so I’m really sorry” (ATP Tour).

Djokovic, 39, was back in Beijing for the first time in 11 years. “This year has been quite challenging for me: Lots of physical and health issues,” he said at the trophy ceremony. “I know that I’m feeling well and striking the ball well, I can compete at the highest level. This week has been evidence of that” (ATP Tour).

He reached the final in an unusual way. On Monday, 5 October, his semi-final opponent, Daniil Medvedev of Russia, was disqualified with Djokovic leading 7⁠–⁠5, 5⁠–⁠3 and serving for the match at 15⁠–⁠15 (ATP Tour; AP via TSN).

Djokovic had just hit a forehand volley winner. The ball bounced off the advertising boards at the back of the court and came back toward Medvedev, who swung a backhand at it. The ball flew into the front row and struck a male spectator, who doubled over and was helped out of the arena holding his left eye (AP via TSN; BBC Sport; AP via CBC Sports).

The chair umpire, Mohamed Lahyani, and an ATP official came onto the court to speak to him. Medvedev did not appear to argue the decision. He walked to the net and shook Djokovic’s hand. The BBC explains that disqualifications are rare and follow breaches of tennis’s code of conduct, which covers ball abuse, physical or verbal abuse and racquet abuse. A player can usually collect three code violations before a fourth brings disqualification, but an offence this serious can end a match at once. Medvedev loses the ranking points and prize money he had earned in Beijing (BBC Sport; AP via TSN).

“It was 100 per cent an accident,” Medvedev said. “You can see that I didn’t hit the ball in anger… The ball was bouncing back, so I tried to just hit it anywhere, so it wouldn’t go out of the court.” He added: “I feel terribly sorry for him actually and I just hope he’s okay… Hopefully I can meet him and make up for it somehow” (ATP Tour). Medvedev, 30, has been fined before, most recently 6,000 euros in April for smashing his racket seven times during a 6⁠–⁠0, 6⁠–⁠0 loss to Matteo Berrettini at the Monte Carlo Masters (AP via TSN; BBC Sport).

Djokovic knows how it feels. He was disqualified from the 2020 US Open after accidentally hitting a line judge in the throat with a ball. He said he felt sorry for both men. “A bit of a shock, to be honest,” he said. “I hope that person is not badly injured. On the other hand, I also feel sorry for Daniil, because I know exactly how he feels to be disqualified in a big match… I am sure that Daniil didn’t want to do this intentionally. It just happens” (ATP Tour; AP via TSN).

Before the stoppage the match had run two hours and 29 minutes. Medvedev won the Hangzhou title last week and was chasing an eighth straight win. Djokovic came back from a break down to take the first set and broke Medvedev twice in the second. He saved 16 of the 18 break points he faced, chances for Medvedev to win a game on Djokovic’s serve. “I was three points away from the win,” Djokovic said. “It was a gruelling battle and I definitely didn’t want [a] third set” (ATP Tour; AP via TSN; Tennis.com).

The semi-final win took Djokovic to 33⁠–⁠0 at the China Open and into his first final since the Australian Open, which he lost to Carlos Alcaraz. Ranked No. 11, he was playing a tournament while outside the top 10 for the first time in eight years (ATP Tour; BBC Sport; AP via TSN).

De Minaur, the fifth seed, had reached his 10th final at ATP 500 level, the men’s tour’s mid-level tier, when Hubert Hurkacz of Poland retired, meaning he stopped playing, with an adductor (inner-thigh) injury while trailing 6⁠–⁠4, 3⁠–⁠2. De Minaur was seeking his first Beijing title and his second of the season after Rotterdam in February. Djokovic led their head-to-head series, the running tally of matches between them, 3⁠–⁠1 going in (ATP Tour; AP via TSN).

What a reader can take from Beijing is a seventh title won in a strange way. Medvedev, three points from defeat, went out in the worst way and apologised. A day later De Minaur could not go on. Neither of Djokovic’s last two matches was played to the end, but he leaves Beijing with the trophy and his record there still perfect.