Djokovic Confirms Beijing Return After 11 Years
Novak Djokovic is returning to the ATP tournament in Beijing after 11 years, an event where he has never lost a match. The decision comes a day after he dropped to 12th in the rankings.
The National Tennis Center in Beijing last saw Novak Djokovic on court in 2015. Eleven years later, on Tuesday, September 16, came the news that the Serbian player is heading back to the venue he calls one of the dearest of his career.
Djokovic announced the decision himself, in a statement confirming his entry into the ATP 500 China Open. “I’m very happy to announce that after many years I’m returning to Beijing for the China Open. I’m very excited to be coming back and to play in front of all of you at the National Tennis Center, one of the most beautiful venues in tennis, a place where I have incredible memories and big successes throughout my career. I want to thank all the Chinese fans for their longtime love and support over the years. I can’t wait to play in front of you,” Djokovic said.
That settles, for the first time since his first round exit at the US Open, the question of which tournament he will play next. Until now the only thing reported was the fallout from that loss, the drop to 12th in the ATP rankings. Today Djokovic answered what comes after it himself.
The numbers suggest Beijing has always been a lucky venue for him, though sources differ on the exact count. According to B92, Djokovic has played the tournament six times and won the title on every occasion, even though the same report lists only five winning years: 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015. Other sources say he took the trophy home in all six appearances, in 2009 and 2010, then in a run from 2012 through 2015. Whichever tally is correct, one fact is not in dispute: Djokovic has never lost a match in Beijing.
There is also some uncertainty over the exact dates. The ATP Tour’s official page for Beijing lists the tournament as running from September 30 to October 6. Serbian media, however, reported back in early September, when the preliminary entry list was published, that the China Open would begin on September 28. Until the date is officially settled, both are being mentioned as the possible window.
The return to Beijing comes at a moment when Djokovic badly needs some momentum. In the ATP rankings released on September 14 he fell to 12th place with 2,980 points, losing as many as 790 points from the previous list after being beaten in the first round of the US Open by Argentina’s Mariano Navone. That marked the first time since October 7, 2002, that the ATP top ten did not include a single player from what is known as the Big Three.
After the loss in New York, Djokovic himself said he was not sure how his body would respond in the coming weeks, which is why his participation in Beijing had remained an open question until today. His entry into the tournament at least partly resolves that doubt, although there is still enough time before the first serve in the Chinese capital for plans to change again.
The field awaiting him is far from weak. The preliminary entry list for Beijing, published in early September, includes as many as seven players from the world’s top ten, among them Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Flavio Cobolli and Alex de Minaur. If all of them actually take the court, the showdown in Beijing could turn into one of the strongest fields before the season’s finale.
For now, only this much is certain: Djokovic has given his word that he will play, he has opponents lined up and a court on which he has not tasted defeat in six appearances. Whether his body will let him extend that record remains to be seen once the tournament actually gets underway, whether that turns out to be September 28 or 30.
