The last two times tennis fans saw Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam winner was losing early in tournaments. One of those was at the US Open, when the Serbian appeared to struggle mightily with his fitness. Surely, he was coming to the end of his legendary career and was not bowing out gracefully.
Perhaps Nuno Borges would further pave the road to retirement for Djokovic by defeating the Serbian in the first round of the China Open. Borges isn't a top-10 player, of course, but he battles and doesn't wilt against better competition.
Of course, the hope for many was that Djokovic wouldn't lose. Most fans still want him to be a reflection of his past brilliance, no matter how long he continues to play. He certainly looked in fine form in the opening set, which he won 6-3.
Novak Djokovic defeats Nuno Borges in the first round of the 2026 China Open
Far from perfect, but good enough, Djokovic broke Borges in the second game and then held serve to get the advantage. Borges had an opportunity to break back at 2-4, but his opponent eventually pushed through. To level the match, Borges was going to need to take advantage of every opportunity he had in the second set.
Midway through the set, Djokovic began breathing heavily and was seen by a medio. He didn't appear to be ailing necessarily, but was concerned about his fitness. He rebounded by winning the next game to get back to even at 3, but his long-term health continues to be a problem.
Or do they? Maybe Djokovic wanted to slam the door shut on any conversation about his demise. While he and Borges continued to hold through the second set, once the tie-break hit, Djokovic turned into arguably the greatest player ever. He smothered Borges with fantastic movement and wicked angles from both wings.
The all-time great jumped out to a 5-1 lead, and that seemed insurmountable for Borges. He was able to get a single point back, but that was all. Djokovic took the final two to win the tie-break 7-2, and the match along with it. He also extended his China Open win streak. He has won all 30 of his matches that he has played historically in Beijing.
Next for Novak Djokovic in the second round of the 2026 China Open is Yunchaokete Bu. Should Djokovic get past that match, he could potentially face Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.
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