Djokovic draws Borges in Beijing, could face Zverev
The Serbian player learned his draw for the Beijing ATP 500 on Monday, a tournament he has never lost. Nuno Borges is first up, and Alexander Zverev could await in the quarterfinals.
A few days ago, fans welcomed him at Beijing airport like a rock star. On Monday, September 28, Novak Djokovic got a piece of paper that flatters him rather less. The draw for the ATP 500 event, the China Open, is out, and the road to the trophy will not be an easy one this time.
The Serbian opens against Portugal’s Nuno Borges. The two have met only once before, and it came on Djokovic’s way to his 101st career title, in Athens, where he came out on top. Should he get past that test, the winner of a match between Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo and China’s Bu Yunchaokete awaits in round two. Reports do not fully agree here: the ATP, Arena Sport and Sputnik all name Juan Manuel Cerundolo as the possible second round rival, while HotSport lists Francisco Cerundolo instead. Which of the two it actually turns out to be will only become clear on court.
Zverev looms in the quarterfinals
The real test for Djokovic comes in the quarterfinals. Based on the current draw, that is where he would run into Alexander Zverev, the tournament’s top seed and the world number two. Djokovic holds a commanding 9-5 edge in their head to head, and their last meeting came at Roland Garros in 2025, where he again had the better of it. Get past that hurdle, and a semifinal against Daniil Medvedev, Jakub Mensik or Alexander Bublik could follow, with Felix Auger-Aliassime, Flavio Cobolli, Alex de Minaur or Learner Tien waiting in a possible final. Interestingly, HotSport lists Djokovic as the tournament’s fifth seed, while the ATP’s official overview does not mention a seeding number for him at all.
A perfect record, a return after 11 years
Beijing has never seen Djokovic lose. He has played 29 matches there and won every single one, lifting the trophy six times, the last of them in 2015, when he beat Rafael Nadal in the final. He has not played the event since, which makes this year his first appearance in Beijing in 11 years. The China Open runs from September 30 to October 6 on hard courts, as part of the ATP 500 series.
The tournament will look different from last year, though, since the defending champion is not taking the court. Jannik Sinner, Beijing’s reigning champion, has withdrawn, reportedly with a knee injury according to Danas, and with it automatically forfeits the 500 points he won there a year ago. That opens the door for a new champion, and Djokovic arrives in China with extra motivation to be that man, after a disappointing first round exit at the US Open.
New ATP rankings
The same day the draw was made, the new ATP rankings were also released, and there was good news for the Serbian star. Djokovic, despite being 39 years old, climbed to 11th place with 2,980 points. Among the other Serbian players, Miomir Kecmanovic sits 57th with 925 points, and Hamad Medjedovic is 77th with 764. Sinner still leads the rankings comfortably with 11,000 points, ahead of Zverev (9,630), Carlos Alcaraz (5,060) and Ben Shelton (4,680).
Beijing has always been special ground for Djokovic, a place where he can play with a free mind because the numbers are on his side. This year’s draw, however, gives him no easy way in, with obstacles arriving early and stacking up one after another. The first test comes against Borges, and the real answer to how ready Novak is for the autumn stretch of the season will only come after a possible clash with Zverev in the quarterfinals.
