De Minaur breaks down and Djokovic makes history again in Beijing

Fernando Murciego - 6 Oct 2026 | 14:46
ATP Novak Djokovic Alex de Miñaur ATP Pekín 2026

After a first set that lasted over an hour, the Australian ended up injured and could not finish the match. The Serbian conquers Beijing for the seventh time and maintains his unbeaten streak in the tournament.

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De Minaur breaks and Djokovic makes history again in Beijing. Source: Getty

Novak Djokovic is champion once again. At 39 years old, the Serbian has been crowned champion of the ATP 500 Beijing in a manner as unexpected as the very path that led him to the final. The Belgrade native benefited from the withdrawal of Álex de Miñaur when the score was 7-6 and 0-1. An abrupt ending to a final that had provided 67 minutes of intense first set action.

The match started as one would expect between two players capable of pushing their physical limits. De Miñaur tried to impose his speed and turn every point into a race, while Djokovic sought to shorten the exchanges and take control from the court. The Australian held on, but when the decisive moment arrived, the Serbian emerged. Djokovic won a tie-break that he sealed with authority and placed the first trophy of the final within his reach.

A final disrupted by physicality

Suddenly, when we all dreamed of a couple more hours at this level, tennis quickly gave way to concern. After the first set, both players requested the assistance of the physiotherapist due to physical issues. The pause completely broke the rhythm of a final that had until then been a battle of maximum demand. Djokovic returned to the court and managed to take a 1-0 lead in the second set, but De Miñaur was not in a condition to continue.

The Australian decided to retire, and Djokovic thus received a title that, although it did not come in the way he surely would have preferred, once again places his name in the history books. It is his seventh title in Beijing, keeping his spectacular tournament record intact: 34 wins and no losses. In those 34 appearances, he has dropped only five sets and also secured 12 victories against top 10 players.

The number that impresses the most, however, is again 102. Djokovic adds the 102nd title of his career, a figure that continues to fuel a collection of records that seemed impossible not long ago. And there is another statistic that better explains the extent of his longevity: he has 21 consecutive seasons winning at least one ATP title.

At 39 years old, Djokovic leaves Beijing as champion once again. This time, he did not need to play the second set in full, but he did have to survive a match of 67 minutes, his own physical issues, and a final that ended prematurely. The trophy, however, once again travels with him. Beijing remains an impregnable territory for Nole.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, De Minaur se rompe y Djokovic vuelve a hacer historia en Pekín