Novak Djokovic isn’t wasting much time dwelling on his US Open exit. Just hours after his shock first-round defeat to Mariano Navone ended his 77-match Grand Slam opening-round winning streak, the Serb confirmed his participation at an event he hasn’t played in for 11 years.

The China Open has included Djokovic on its men’s singles entry list, setting up his return to Beijing for the first time since 2015.

Historically, Beijing has been generous to him. Djokovic has never lost a match at the China Open, winning the title in each of his six appearances there, in 2009, 2010, and every year from 2012 through 2015. His return puts him back on a court where his record remains perfect, along with other top entries like Jannik Sinner making a return, Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and several others. 

Djokovic looked visibly unwell on much of Sunday’s encounter, and the loss was his first at the first round of any major since the 2006 Australian Open. It also extended the wait for his record 25th Grand Slam till 2027 at the earliest. This exit marks Serbian’s 12 appearances without winning a major, surpassing his previous streak. The last time Djokovic struggled to win a major again for such a long time was when he won his first major at the 2008 Australian Open and then had to wait for another three years to win the second trophy, which also came at the same place.