Novak Djokovic is expecting another tough battle at the Beijing Open when he faces top seed Alexander Zverev.
The 39-year-old came from a set down to beat Chinese star Bu Yunchaokete 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 event on Friday.
The Serbian had to work hard for it but extended his winning streak at this tournament to 31 matches, including a record six titles in the Chinese capital.
Djokovic has reached this point despite clearly struggling physically. However, the 24-time major winner admitted there was a silver lining to his health problems during the Bu win.
He said, “Today, again, for [the] first couple [of] sets… Actually, surprisingly, something I haven’t experienced this year so far, that in the third set I kind of broke through. I felt better. Towards the end of the second and all third set, I felt fresher than I have in the beginning of the match.
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“Yeah, I’m just hopeful with all the things obviously that we’re doing that I could be in a control decent conditions for the next match and upcoming matches and tournaments.”
Djokovic also revealed he was taken aback by the sheer level of support he received from the Chinese crowd, despite going up against the Xinjiang-born player.
He can expect more of that support when he faces US Open champion Zverev in the last eight. The Serbian leads their head-to-head 9-5, with their last meeting coming back in a four-set win for Djokovic at the 2025 French Open.
The German, who also won this year’s French Open, is No 1 in the ATP Tour Race and has a chance to top the rankings for the first time in his career if he has a golden Asian Swing. Therefore, Djokovic is expecting another war on Sunday.
He wrote on Instagram, “Great battle with Bu last night. Had to dig deep to turn this match around. I’d especially like to acknowledge the crowd, it was truly a special kind of atmosphere. The support I’ve been getting from people is incredible. Sincerely, thank you. See you tomorrow for another great battle.”
Djokovic has won seven of his 11 hard court meetings with Zverev but the 29-year-old is confident he can beat the veteran, even on a court he has never lost on.
Following his 6-0, 6-3 victory over Juncheng Shang on Saturday, Zverev said, “We will see tomorrow but I like my chances but again he loves the court.”
Djokovic is chasing his first ATP Tour title of the season, while Zverev is looking to be in the winner’s enclosure for the third time in 2026. Whenever these two play, it tends to be a war of attrition.
Zverev will welcome that battle but Djokovic may not. Either way, an intriguing match lies ahead.
