Tennis great Novak Djokovic credited his “never-die spirit” for carrying him to the 102nd title of his career after Alex de Minaur retired injured from their China Open final on Tuesday.
The victory extended Djokovic’s perfect record in Beijing to 34 wins from 34 matches and earned the 39-year-old Serbian his seventh China Open title, his first since 2015.
Reflecting on his latest triumph, Djokovic said his resilience and commitment had been crucial throughout more than two decades as a professional.
“The grit and the dedication and the kind of never-die spirit that really is always with me” have helped him overcome challenges throughout his career, Djokovic said.
He described tennis as “quite a cruel sport”, pointing to the demands of competing in knockout tournaments throughout the year and the pressure of performing in front of spectators.
“You can feel so much weight on your shoulders, but it is what I have been destined to do,” he said.
In front of a packed stadium, Djokovic edged a closely contested opening set 7-6 (7/3). De Minaur then won the opening game of the second set before retiring with a left adductor injury.
Both players had required medical timeouts during a physically demanding first set, which lasted more than an hour. De Minaur returned to the court wearing a white wrap around his left thigh but was unable to continue.
“I don’t feel great,” the Australian told the crowd after the match. “I want to say sorry to the amazing fans that came to watch… I didn’t want to finish like this.”
Despite advancing to the final after Hubert Hurkacz retired injured during their semi-final on Monday, De Minaur had battled his way through a demanding tournament.
Djokovic’s own route to the final was also far from straightforward. The 24-time Grand Slam champion defeated home favourite Bu Yunchaokete in a gruelling three-set match before overcoming top seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. He then advanced to the final after Daniil Medvedev was disqualified for hitting a fan with a ball.
Before the final, Djokovic admitted he had tried to visualise himself lifting the trophy again in Beijing but recognised that circumstances had changed as he entered the latter stages of his career.
“I always want to visualise myself with the trophy, particularly here in Beijing,” he said during the trophy ceremony.
“But I was also quite aware that reality is a little bit different these days,” he added, pointing to a challenging year affected by “physical and health issues”.
“I was just trying to find the good feeling on the court,” Djokovic said.
The triumph means Djokovic will finish the season with at least one title for a 21st consecutive year. It also makes him the oldest man to win a singles final since Ken Rosewall claimed the Hong Kong title in 1977 at the age of 43.
Muchova edges Osaka in Beijing thriller
In the women’s draw, Karolina Muchova survived a dramatic battle with former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka to reach the quarter-finals.
The seventh-seeded Czech prevailed 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (9/7) after two hours and 52 minutes, despite committing 50 unforced errors.
Osaka saved eight match points before Muchova finally sealed victory with a match-winning volley.
“I was shaking. I’m happy I made the last volley… Naomi could be standing here. It’s me, and I’m really grateful for it,” Muchova told the crowd.
She will face compatriot Nikola Bartunkova in the quarter-finals.
Elsewhere, Russia’s Mirra Andreeva cruised past Ukraine’s Daria Snigur 6-2, 6-2 to book her place in the last eight, where she will meet fellow Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Alexandrova, the world No. 28, upset Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-2 to end the Czech player’s hopes of returning to the Beijing final, which she reached last year.
AFP
