Djokovic Claims First Title of the Year at China Open After 11-Year Absence

Novak Djokovic (ranked 11th, Serbia) secured his first title of the year by winning the ATP Tour China Open, returning to the tournament for the first time in 11 years.

Djokovic claimed a victory by retirement against Alex de Minaur (ranked 9th, Australia) in the men's singles final held in Beijing, China, yesterday (October 6).

After winning the first set 7-6(7-3), Djokovic sealed the championship when de Minaur retired due to a groin injury while trailing 0-1 in the second set.

This marks Djokovic's seventh career China Open title, captured 11 years after his last appearance at the tournament.

Following his victory in the 2015 tournament, he had not competed in the event for a considerable period.

Djokovic extended his tournament record for consecutive wins at the China Open to 34 matches.

He remains undefeated at this tournament.

This also marks his 102nd career ATP Tour title.

He is now just one title away from matching the record held by retired Roger Federer (Switzerland, 103 titles).

The Open Era record for most titles is held by Jimmy Connors (United States) with 109 titles.

This is also the first title of the year for the 39-year-old Djokovic, whose downward trend has become more noticeable.

After losing to Carlos Alcaraz (ranked 3rd, Spain) in the final of the Australian Open earlier this year, he had not reached a single final in any tournament.

In this tournament, Djokovic defeated top-seeded US Open champion Alexander Zverev (ranked 2nd, Germany) in the quarterfinals, and advanced to the final after Daniil Medvedev (ranked 6th, Russia) was disqualified for hitting a spectator with a ball in the semifinals.

This is the first time in three years that Djokovic has defeated three top-10 players in a single tournament.

"This year has been quite tough with many physical and health issues," Djokovic said. "I know that if my body feels good and I am striking the ball well, I can still compete at the highest level."

He added, "I always have high expectations for myself, and especially here in Beijing, where I have never lost, I always imagine myself holding the trophy. Of course, I also knew that the reality these days is a bit different."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.