Beijing, September 16 (Daily Kiran) : Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has confirmed his return to the China Open, marking his first participation in the tournament in 11 years.
The event, part of the ATP 500 series, will take place in Beijing.
On Wednesday, Djokovic took to social media to share his enthusiasm about returning to a city where he enjoyed significant success early in his career. In a video posted on Instagram, he expressed, “I am very happy to announce that I will be returning to Beijing to play the China Open after many years. I am excited to play in front of all of you at the National Tennis Center. It is one of the best venues for tennis, a place filled with incredible memories and major successes in my career. I want to thank all the Chinese fans for their love and support over the years.”
Djokovic last competed in the China Open in 2015, having participated six times from 2009 to 2015. Now at 39, he is set to return to Beijing, although his recent performance has raised concerns. At the 2026 US Open, he suffered a shocking first-round defeat to Argentina’s Mariano Navone.
Navone defeated the fourth-seeded Djokovic in a grueling match at Arthur Ashe Stadium that lasted four hours and 36 minutes, with scores of 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. This marked Djokovic’s first opening-round loss in a Grand Slam since 2006. Despite a he struggled physically as the match progressed, particularly in the final two sets.
Following the defeat, Djokovic described his experience on the court as very disappointing and revealed that he has been dealing with physical issues throughout the season. According to ATP, he stated, “It was clear that I felt very bad on the court. Unfortunately, I’ve faced this problem in almost every match this year. Nausea is a serious issue. Then my whole body starts to respond, mainly with cramps and pain. In the end, my back and shoulder gave out, and I couldn’t win the match.”
Due to his loss at the US Open, Djokovic has fallen out of the ATP top 10 rankings for the first time in years, currently sitting at 12th in the world.