Novak Djokovic is set to resume his season at the China Open, which starts on September 30, in a return that stands out after his recent US Open exit.

The Serbian’s campaign in New York ended in the opening round, where Mariano Navone beat him in a five-set match. Djokovic has often had a calmer finish to the season in the later years of his career, but 2026 looks different, with both the China Open and the Shanghai Masters on his itinerary.

His upcoming appearance in Beijing also carries extra weight because he has not played the China Open since 2015, the year he won the title. That makes his return to the ATP 500 event a major moment on the calendar.

In a statement posted to his social media, the 24-time Gradn Slam Champion said: “I’m very happy to announce that I’m coming back after many years to play in Beijing at the China Open.

“I am excited to come back and perform in front of all of you at the National Tennis Centre – 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 for their continuous love and support for so many years. Can’t wait to perform in front of you. See you very soon.”

Djokovic’s history at the event is flawless. He owns a record six titles there and has never lost a match at the tournament. His victories came in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, with final wins over Rafael Nadal, Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The return also comes at a delicate point in his ranking picture, after he recently fell out of the ATP Tour top 10 for the first time since 2018. Since he did not play the China Open in 2025, the event gives him an opportunity to pick up ground.

The draw is likely to be demanding. Djokovic will line up with Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, Alex de Minaur, and Jakub Mensik. He will also be the seventh seed, one of the lowest seedings he has had at an ATP 500 event for much of his career.

Novak Djokovic has been navigating an uneven stretch, with age and results beginning to bite into even his most reliable routines. The 24-time Grand Slam champion arrives at the China Open after consecutive first-round defeats in Cincinnati and at the US Open, where he fell to Thiago Agustin Tirante and Mariano Navone.

Now, Djokovic is scheduled to return to the Beijing event for the first time in 11 years. It is a move that deserves recognition, because he continues to test himself on the ATP Tour and to do so at a tournament he has largely avoided in recent seasons. Yet it also places one of the most impressive records of his career in jeopardy.

Djokovic has never lost a match at the China Open. He has won the tournament every time he has played it, building a perfect 29-0 record at the event. That streak will be on the line in Beijing, and given the form he has shown lately, a first defeat there is a real possibility.

The field only raises the difficulty. Six players from the ATP Tour top 10 are set to compete, including Alexander Zverev, a returning Jannik Sinner, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, and Alex de Minaur.

Djokovic’s decision looks especially bold when the Japan Open in Tokyo is available in the same week. Carlos Alcaraz is entered there, but only four members of the top 10 are in that draw, among them Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and Taylor Fritz.

For that reason, the choice to go back to Beijing has the feel of something larger than a simple schedule call. Djokovic will also be expected to play the Shanghai Masters the following week, making for a busy stretch at the start of the ATP Tour’s Asian swing.

The China Open runs from 30 September to 6 October. For Djokovic, it may be a defining test of whether this is another push forward or a final, world-spanning farewell in progress.

Andrea Petkovic has tipped both Iva Jovic and Alex Eala to go on to win a Grand Slam, while saying she expects the Filipina to get there first.

The two young players met in one of the standout matches of the US Open, where Jovic edged a tense third-round contest 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 after three hours on court. The American then won only five games in the following round against eventual semi-finalist Coco Gauff, but it still marked her deepest run yet at Flushing Meadows.

Jovic is ranked 16th in the WTA Tour standings, with Eala two places behind her. Even so, Petkovic, who is 39, believes the left-hander will reach a major title before Jovic does, despite the American being the higher-ranked and younger of the two.

When asked which player would win a Slam in the next three or four years, the German said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, “I think both will win one. I think that’s important for me to state. I think Eala will win one before just because she has that two years [extra in age].

“I’m not picking her because I believe in her tennis more or less. I just think the two years of maturity, even though Iva Jovic is maybe the most mature person I’ve ever spoken to, it’s almost shocking when she opens her mouth. How this 55-year-old woman comes out of her that’s gone through so much life experience.

“I think it’s difficult to account for these two years that Eala has on her. The extra bit of experience, the extra bit of having been in certain moments, the extra bit of life experience, not only experience in tournaments.”

Although Eala has been on tour slightly longer, Jovic has played nine Grand Slams to Eala’s seven. Eala has reached the fourth round of a major once, while Jovic has done so three times this year.

Petkovic still sees the bigger picture as more important, saying women’s tennis is in a strong place and pointing to rivalries and emerging names across the tour. She added, “But honestly, who cares? Because both of them are the future and present of women’s tennis and both of them are so amazing to watch. Right now, women’s tennis is really in such a great place. It’s incredible. I’ve been waiting for this my whole life.”