Djokovic Returns to Beijing After 11 Years, Draws Borges First

A perfect record on the line after an 11-year gap

Novak Djokovic is back in Beijing. The draw for the China Open, released this week, pairs the six-time champion with Nuno Borges in Wednesday's first round — his first match at the event since he last played it in 2015. Across those six previous appearances, Djokovic won every single match, an untouched 29-0 record at the venue that ranks among the most dominant tournament runs of his career at any single stop on tour.

"I have great record here. Always enjoyed playing in Beijing, in China in general, particularly here in Beijing," Djokovic said ahead of the tournament. "Great support, great atmosphere. Practice sessions and matches, there's a lot of love, a lot of support from Chinese tennis fans. I always look forward to that." Asked about his ambitions beyond the warm reception, he was blunt: "If I only wanted to enjoy the crowd, I would just play exhibitions. I want to win."

Zverev looms in a stacked quarter

Djokovic's return lands him in the same quarter as top seed Alexander Zverev, who opens against Cameron Norrie. Should both advance, the pair would meet in the quarterfinals — a rematch of a rivalry Djokovic leads 9-5, including a win at Roland Garros in 2025. Zverev arrives in Beijing off the back of his US Open title and a Laver Cup victory with Team Europe, making him the man to beat in the absence of Jannik Sinner, who withdrew from the tournament with a knee injury and will not defend his title.

Elsewhere in the draw, Felix Auger-Aliassime faces Karen Khachanov, Flavio Cobolli opens against Roman Safiullin, and Jakub Mensik takes on Alexander Bublik in a first round packed with intrigue from top to bottom.

Chasing a first title since 2015

A seventh Beijing trophy would be Djokovic's first tournament win of an injury-hit 2026 season and his first appearance at the event since claiming his sixth title there over a decade ago. He turns 39 in the coming months and remains the most successful player in the tournament's history by a wide margin. Wednesday's opener against Borges, whom Djokovic has beaten before on his way to the Athens trophy that gave him his 101st tour-level title, is his first step toward testing whether that perfect Beijing record can survive the long-awaited return trip.

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Djokovic's participation also gives the tournament its strongest singles field in years, with the winner poised to bank a hefty haul of ranking points in the closing stretch of the season before the Asian swing wraps up ahead of the European indoor events.