By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Photo credit: Screen Shot
Gliding across the court, Novak Djokovic slid into a split behind the baseline while banging a backhand.
Olympic gold-medal champion Djokovic stopped a three-match slide with elastic body control and a mind for the mission despite some aches and pains along the way.
In his first China Open appearance in 11 years, Djokovic beat Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6(2) to extend his perfect record in Beijing to 30-0.
It wasn’t a flawless performance—the former No. 1 was hunched over gulping deep breaths at times, clutched at his lower back a few times and took a medical time out after the fifth game of the second set—but in the end Djokovic elevated in the second-set tie break to score his first win since he edged Felix Auger-Aliassime in a Wimbledon quarterfinal classic back in July.
Since then, Djokovic had lost to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinals, suffered an upset to Argentinean Thiago Agustin Tirante in Cincinnati then endured a stunning five-set loss to Argentina’s Mariano Navone in the US Open first round.
The 39-year-old Djokovic has enjoyed massive support in China throughout his career. His return before a packed crowd inspired both fans and Djokovic himself.
The Serbian superstar broke in Borges’ opening service game and was holding comfortably building a 4-1 first-set lead. Djokovic saved a pair of break points holding for 5-2 before serving out the set two games later converting his second set point.
The sixth-seeded Djokovic was struggling to find his range and rhythm at times in the second set before turning it up in an assertive tie break to close in one hour, 51 minutes.
Landing first serves with precision and launching first strikes with ambition, Djokovic played some of his most dynamic tennis in the tie break.
“I think when I struggled a bit physically in the second set, I really needed that serve,” Djokovic said. “I got that serve going for me. It really helped in the crucial moments. Then I think in the tiebreak, really it was taking one point at a time and really trying to get that mini break, get ahead early, which I did. That helps.
“When you get ahead 3-0, it’s a different kind of mindset I think for both players. If you’re trailing 3-0 in the tiebreak, it feels that you have to put double as much effort to get back on track, try to have a chance in the tiebreak.
“Once I got 3-0 up, I felt like I’m in a very good kind of driver position here. I kept it going. Serving really helped. Even in that tiebreak, I had some really big first serves that enabled me to win points quickly. At this level, if you have big serve, serve plus-one, if you’re efficient with that, it’s a huge advantage. Then you can kind of be a bit more aggressive on the return games, which I have. I mean, I try to do.”
Grand Slam king Djokovic is playing for his first title of the season—and to make history as the first man in the Open Era to win at least one tournament title for 21 consecutive years.
Next up for Djokovic is 104th-ranked Chinese wild card Yunchaokete Bu in round two.
“Well, playing Chinese player in China is definitely not fun (smiling). I’m sure it’s going to be an electric atmosphere,” Djokovic said. “He’s going to have a lot of support. But at the same time I like my chances when I’m playing this kind of level of tennis. I like my chances really against anyone.
“So just hopefully physically I can be fit, I can be fresh. We’ll probably most likely play the night session again in few days’ time. Let’s see. It’s a bit cooler conditions from the first days of training. The ball slows down a bit. The bounce is lower.
“So I think it favors players like Bu, who likes to play fast and flat, plays quite aggressive and close to the line. I have seen him play a little bit. Of course, I’m going to have to do my analysis. I played Wu as well in Wimbledon the first time.”
Former Rolex Paris Masters champion Karen Khachanov did not face a break point in a 6-3, 6-3 win over the second-seeded Auger-Aliassime. It was Khachanov’s sixth win in his last seven matches following his run to the US Open semifinals, where he knocked off Auger-Aliassime in round two.
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