Novak Djokovic wins seventh China Open title after Alex de Minaur retires in abrupt ending to final

Novak Djokovic is once again on top in Beijing, but not in the circumstances he would have expected. He won the final of the China Open against Alex de Minaur, but for the second match on the spin would not complete it. The Aussie retired after trailing 7-6(3), 0-1.

It is a 34th consecutive win in this tournament for Djokovic who has hushed the doubters over his recent form. He has appeared in this tournament seven times, dropping just five sets, defeating 12 top 10 players and winning seven titles.

At 39 years and four months old, he surpasses Roger Federer’s record as the oldest ATP 500 finalist, and it is the first time Djokovic defeated three top 10 players in a tournament since the 2023 ATP Finals. It also marks the 21st consecutive year where Djokovic picks up an ATP title.

The first set was extremely tight before the 24-time Grand Slam champion edged the tiebreak. Both players had medical timeouts, but it was a lot more serious for de Minaur who retired from the contest to a stunned crowd.

Both players had won their semi-final contest via unorthodox routes, but were both prepared to show their worth on the big stage. Djokovic put his opponent under a lot of pressure in the early stages. A comfortable hold was followed by a tense first service game for de Minaur, in which a break point was saved en route to a hard fought hold.

He then had a chance of his own to steal a match, allowing a Djokovic backhand to bypass him down the line before watching it agonisingly drop in. The Serbian took a 3-2 lead before it was yet again his turn to squander an effort to break.

The match settled on serve from this point with de Minaur serving to stay in the set twice, the second time forcing a tiebreak. As it went on, Djokovic seemed to start struggling more. He soldiered on and still showcased a very high level.

As the final hit the hour mark, the first set tiebreak began. Djokovic dominated it, winning it 7-3 as he stamped his authority on the tie. His Aussie opponent faltered at times, and Djokovic capitalised.

However, it would not be all positive with the doctor and physio waiting for him to return to his chair for a medical time out. Once he was cleared, de Minaur also needed some medical attention. He opted to leave the court for the treatment, delaying the beginning of the second set even further.

There were some underlying troubles for de Minaur, who won the opening game. However, after playing some cracking points, he shook his head and wandered over to the other side of the court to Djokovic, retiring from the final in astonishing scenes. Djokovic was handed the title having last completed a match in the quarter-finals against Zverev. A sad way to end a historic night for the king of Beijing, whose muted celebration reflected the scenes.