Novak Djokovic needed a medical timeout and a late tie-break, but the 39-year-old still left Beijing unbeaten. On his first China Open appearance since 2015, the sixth seed beat Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6(2) in one hour and 51 minutes and pushed his career record at the ATP 500 event to a perfect 30-0.
The win also ended a three-match losing run that stretched from a Wimbledon semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner through first-round exits in Cincinnati and at the US Open. It was Djokovic’s first official match since Mariano Navone beat him in five sets in New York four weeks ago.
Medical timeout at 2-3 in the second set
Novak Djokovic was not at his sharpest. He took the first set 6-3, then called for treatment at 2-3 in the second. Nuno Borges, who had already pushed him in last year’s Athens quarter-finals, raised his level after that stoppage.
The Serbian still found a way. A lob at 0-1 on serve in the second set lifted the packed Capital Group Diamond Arena, and he closed the tie-break. After the handshake, he walked all four sides of the stadium.
“In the second set he started playing better, and I struggled a little bit physically to stay fresh,” Novak Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “When I was serving, I was dominating and going through my games quite comfortably. It was helping getting those first serves in, that high percentages makes my life easier in my service games and I played a great tie-break to close it out in two, so I am very happy about that.”
That timeout will be watched. Before the tournament, Djokovic had played down fitness questions after the US Open, when he dealt with shoulder and back trouble.
30-0: the China Open fortress still stands
Djokovic won the China Open on all six of his previous visits including 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and has never dropped a final here. Notably, his last Beijing title came against Rafael Nadal. Since the ATP Tour began in 1990, no player has more wins at a single tour-level event without a defeat.
Buyunchaokete next as title hunt continues
Novak Djokovic is still chasing his first title of 2026. A Beijing trophy would be a 102nd tour-level title, with Roger Federer on 103 and Jimmy Connors on 109. Top seed and US Open champion Alexander Zverev sits in the same quarter. First, though, comes home wild card Yunchaokete Bu, who beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 on Wednesday.