Novak Djokovic is now a 102-time ATP champion after beating Alex de Minaur in the final of the China Open.
Djokovic has now won a title for 21 years running, a tennis record, although his final with De Minaur was cut short after the Australian retired hurt. The Serbian was, however, leading 7-6(7-3), 0-1 at the time. It follows a similar story to his semifinal, when Daniil Medvedev was defaulted for hitting a spectator with a ball.
It was certainly a rollercoaster ATP 500 tournament for the veteran and indeed for the fans attending the event, which Djokovic has now discussed following his China Open title. It’s his first of the 2026 season, and moves him within one of fellow legend Roger Federer on the all-time list.
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Novak Djokovic thanks ‘incredible’ fans after China Open title
Issuing a heartfelt message to the fans after his China Open title, Djokovic told the media: “I would like to express my gratitude once more for incredible support. Honestly, the Chinese fans are probably the most amazing tennis fans that I see anywhere around the world.
“This country has always given me lots of support. This year has been tremendous, honestly. I haven’t been here in 11 years. Okay, I didn’t know what to expect. I felt it’s going to be a positive energy and interaction. I did not expect the stadium to be full for every single match from the first round and people to be so joyful and passionate about me being here, playing in front of them.
“It’s just the best crowd support I have anywhere outside of Serbia, that’s for sure, is here in China. The amount of presents they give me, the amount of time they spend to be able to interact even shortly with me, waiting in front of the hotel, tennis club, the stadium, outside, it’s remarkable honestly.
“I try to always remind myself how special that is, how privileged I am. Yeah, that also explains why I play well in China, why I feel good, because people make me feel like I’m Chinese, like I’m playing at home. The only thing I need is to learn Chinese and get the passport and we are good.”
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Novak Djokovic enjoys timely ATP title at the China Open
Djokovic entered the China Open out of form, having lost his very first match of the US Open to Mariano Navone. But he returned to winning ways in spectacular fashion, beating top 10 players De Minaur, Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, the top seed and champion from New York.
Now sharing his mindset and expectations heading to Beijing, he revealed: “Well, I landed here quite early to be honest, Saturday, more than 10 days ago. I really wanted to get myself in the right shape to prepare as best as I can to be able to have the week that thankfully I had. I wanted to keep the streak going.
“Beijing was always my happy place. It continues to be. I always have high expectations for myself. The goals and desires are always high, particularly in a place where I never lost before. I haven’t been here in 11 years. I had a year filled with struggle and challenges, not many great results after the finals of Australian Open.
“Yeah, I didn’t know how I’m going to feel because the American swing was terrible in terms of feeling on the court, health-wise and physically. I must say in some of the matches here I did struggle, as well. I managed to kind of push through and really dig deep, turned some matches around.
“Of course, I’m very proud of the achievement here. It came at the best possible time as a confidence booster, as a proof that I can still play on the highest level. Winning against three top 10 players in a matter of three days back-to-back is a great achievement. I’m obviously filled with joy.”
Beijing being Djokovic’s happy place is an understatement to say the least, with the Serbian boasting seven titles, 34 wins and zero losses at the China Open. His success sees him return to the ATP top 10, which should indeed be a confidence booster for the Shanghai Masters. He has, however, been handed an extremely difficult possible route to another title, with Ben Shelton, Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz all representing potential opponents in the latter stages.
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