In nearly a decade on tour, Alex de Minaur had retired from exactly one professional match, back in 2017 at the Sydney International. That is part of what made his early exit from the China Open final feel so jarring.

“I don’t feel great,” de Minaur stated in his runner-up speech. “Look, first of all, congrats to you, mate, to you, your team. It was pretty amazing as a fan of the sport to watch the tennis you produced this whole week. Wishing you nothing but the best, so well done. As for me, I want to say sorry to all the amazing fans that came to watch this match.”

De Minaur was up against 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, who has never lost a final on Chinese soil. Both played an intense first set, where neither player could break each other’s serve and took it to a tie-break, which the Serbian won 7-3. Both players then called for the physio, with Djokovic receiving treatment on his shoulder and de Minaur leaving the court for an extended medical timeout. When the Australian returned, his left thigh was heavily bandaged. He held his opening service game and then walked to the net to shake hands. 

The apology was heartfelt, as fans filled each and every seat at the Diamond court in the Beijing National Tennis Center. Roughly all 15,000 tickets were sold; the Australian could not get through the match to make their money worth it due to physical limitations. Djokovic himself has been booed for early withdrawals, but this crowd graciously accepted de Minaur’s apology with applause.

De Minaur is considered the quickest mover on the court, and he has even earned the name of “Demon” for his movement and fitness. The 27-year-old has never faced severe physical issues in a decade-long career, which means if he could not continue at all, then only he would have decided to retire mid-match.

The retirement handed Djokovic his seventh China Open title and the 102nd of his career, one short of Roger Federer’s 103. It also meant the Serbian extended his perfect record at the tournament to 34-0, which is now the longest unbeaten run from a tournament debut for any man or woman, ahead of Rafael Nadal’s 31-0 start at Roland Garros and Monica Seles’s 33-0 at the Australian Open. 

However, the victory was bittersweet for the Serbian, as even in the semifinal he advanced after Daniil Medvedev was defaulted, even though he was leading 7-5, 5-3. Similarly, here as well, the 39-year-old was leading, but the opponent cut the match short, a strange feeling amid a title win, which he addressed in his post-match presentation. 

“It’s a bit of a strange feeling, to be honest,” he told ATP Media. “I want to celebrate, because I’ve played one of the best weeks in the last couple of years. At the same time, he retired at the beginning of the second, so it doesn’t feel right to jump around and be joyful.” 

De Minaur’s semifinal was also cut short, as Hubert Hurkacz retired in the second set trailing 4-6, 2-3 due to a Groin injury that first flared at the Chengdu Open, where he made the finals. De Minaur had played 58 matches without rest, and the fatigue finally caught up to him. He started the year on a good note, reaching the quarterfinal of his home slam and then backed up that result with his 11th career title in Rotterdam.  

Djokovic’s long wait for the first title of 2026

On Djokovic’s part, it was his first title of the season after a grueling wait. He won his last title in November 2025 in Athens against Lorenzo Musetti, and after that the only final he reached was at the Australian Open, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz. The physical struggles followed him everywhere he went: a problem at Indian Wells, stomach and fatigue problems in Cincinnati, and the eventual blow that came at the US Open. 

Mariano Navone defeated the 24-time Grand Slam champion in five sets in the first round, ending Djokovic’s 78-match winning streak in opening rounds of Grand Slams. The physical issues followed him in Beijing too as he had to power through his initial matches against Nuno Borges and home favorite Bu Yunchaokete.

The 39-year-old completed his redemption arc in Beijing. After the US Open loss, he participated in a tournament where he had not played for the last eleven years despite a perfect record, and ensured that it remained intact by fighting through all the physical struggles at the age of 39.