11 years later, the king is back: Six-time winner Novak Djokovic confirms participation at China Open

It is hard to tell what events Novak Djokovic will be competing in these days. The 39-year-old has only featured in seven ATP tournaments in 2026, four of which had come in the Grand Slam tournaments. He is set to make it an even eight with him confirming his participation for the China Open after 11 years away, a competition over the years he has dominated.

The Serbian was on the entry list for the event in what is a stacked ATP 500 tournament featuring some of the best players in the world chasing for glory in Beijing. Djokovic will be one of those players with a point to prove following a poor North American hardcourt swing, which in turn has led to a lot of speculation about his future.

He failed to pick up a win in either the Cincinnati Open or the US Open, exiting in the first round of a Grand Slam for the first time in over two decades. While remarkable, he was able to keep that record for so long; it does have its downsides, lending to the possible twilight of his career he is enduring. That Australian Open final run at the start of the year feels like a long time ago.

Following Wimbledon, he stated that his body reacted very well to the time at SW19, but he could not find his synonymous class on court in the USA. It is back to the drawing board for Djokovic, and if there is a place that he can rely on prevailing at, it is most certainly the China Open.

On his Instagram story, Djokovic confirmed the news. It first showed a compilation of him lifting the numerous China Open trophies over the years before he started to speak. "I'm very happy to announce that I am coming back after many years to play in Beijing at the China Open," he said.

"I'm so excited to come back and perform in front of all of you at the National Tennis Center, one of the nicest venues we have in tennis. A place where I had some incredible memories and great success throughout my career. I want to thank all the Chinese fans for their continuous love and support for so many years. Can't wait to perform in front of you. See you very soon."

The tournament will take place from September 30 to October 6. Djokovic has played in the China Open six times, won 29 matches and, most significantly, won six titles. Even for him that is out of this world.

He first tasted success in 2009 against Marin Cilic. A theme in the final is that Djokovic would not drop a set in any of them. David Ferrer was taken care of a year later before Djokovic skipped the 2011 event. He returned with a bang, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Rafael Nadal was disposed of in 2013 before Tomas Berdych and Nadal again in 2014 and 2015 failed to tame the ruthless Djokovic.

Happy hunting ground indeed, but since then he has not featured in the tournament. Andy Murray became the first player since Berdych in 2011 not called Djokovic to win the title en route to the World No.1 spot in 2016. Nadal, Basilashvili and Dominic Thiem were the final champions ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event returned in 2023 where it has been dominated by the 'Big Two.' Jannik Sinner has made the final of the prior three editions, defeating Daniil Medvedev in 2023 before coming the wrong side of a thriller against Carlos Alcaraz in a taste of what was to come. He regained his title last time out against young talent Learner Tien, and will be the huge favourite to do so again.

Also on the list to compete are US Open champion Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Flavio Cobolli, Medvedev and Alex de Minaur among others. Djokovic will relish the competition as he looks to preserve his immaculate record in Beijing and get back to speed after a challenging month of tennis.