Novak Djokovic produced a masterclass to defeat French Open and US Open champion Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, securing his place in the China Open semi-finals on Sunday. The victory extends the 39-year-old Serbian’s perfect record in Beijing to 32-0, establishing a new benchmark for the best start at a single tour-level event in the Open Era.
With this win, Djokovic surpassed Rafael Nadal, who previously held the record with 31 consecutive victories at the French Open. The result moves Djokovic closer to a seventh China Open title, having already claimed the tournament six times previously.
Djokovic returned to the Chinese capital for the first time since 2015, when he defeated Nadal in the final to capture his sixth title. Despite starting slowly due to cold conditions, he overcame an early double-fault struggle and a break down in the opening set to dominate the decisive stages.
“I had a terrible start. Two double faults at the beginning. It was quite cold and honestly, I didn’t feel warmed up, but my fault,” Djokovic admitted. “I gave him an early break and then it was hard to come back in the first set… but I kind of felt already from midway through the first set that I was starting to get a good rhythm.”
The match, which marked the first meeting between the two rivals in nearly 16 months since last year’s French Open, showcased Djokovic’s resilience. He broke Zverev at 5-4 in the second set to level the match and repeated the feat in the third to seal the victory. Djokovic became only the third player in ATP history, following Ken Rosewall and Jimmy Connors, to secure a top-three win after turning 39.
“To be honest, these are the kind of moments that I still play for, compete for,” Djokovic said. “The motivation is big obviously when you are feeling good and competing at par with the best players in the world… I’m just glad to push it through.”
Djokovic will next face Daniil Medvedev, who advanced after defeating Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. Former British number one Annabel Croft praised the contest on Sky Sports, noting Djokovic’s tactical adjustments, including drop shots and serve-and-volley plays, which helped him overcome fatigue and secure the win.
Wait, he beat the record Zverev holds? No, Nadal’s. My bad, history lesson needed!
Can a 39-year-old really maintain this level? Somewhere the decline must be lurking.
I barely recognized the drop shots. Djokovic’s tactical evolution keeps getting overlooked.
32-0 is absolutely insane. The man is an alien on hard courts.