Novak Djokovic arrived at the China Open off the back off some of his poorest form in recent memory.

The star was knocked out of the first round of both the Cincinnati Open and the US Open, at the hands of Thiago Agustin Tirante and Mariano Navone respectively.

Djokovic also arrives at the China Open looking to continue his 100% winning rate at the tournament, having lifted the title a record six times.

He began his first round match against Nuno Borges in sensational fashion, by taking the first set 6-3 with a particularly strong opening to the set.

However, as has been the case for Djokovic for much of the 2026 season, the 24-time Grand Slam champion began to falter the longer the match went on.

He called for the trainer in the middle of the second set and Annabel Croft, on Sky Sports Tennis commentary duty, shared her worry for some of Djokovic’s actions.

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After Djokovic failed to return a body serve from Borges, Croft said: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Djokovic do that. Again, it’s just an indication this is one of the best returners we’ve ever seen in the game, but that was a body serve and he didn’t have the spring in the legs to move out of the way. He was rooted to the spot.”

Croft was also worried for Djokovic’s health in general and suggested that he once again looked on the verge of throwing up on the court.

“He’s doing a lot of swallowing. Sometimes players take the substances like the powders, gels, and all these things and that actually make you feel a bit sick,” explained Croft.

“We’ve seen him being sick on court multiple times in his last couple of matches. He’s doing a lot of swallowing and it makes me think those drinks are not really agreeing with him.

“And the walk is so slow in between points. Normally he’s marching around, in control. He’s anything but in the moment.”

This continues a long stretch of health issues on the court for Djokovic throughout the season.

As well as his first round defeats in Cincinnati and the US Open, he was also beaten in his opening round match against Dino Prizmic at the Italian Open.

As a result, Djokovic has played just 21 matches throughout the entire season. With two thirds of the ATP Tour season already gone, that’s an incredibly low number for the 39-year-old.

Djokovic is also expected to play the Shanghai Masters following the China Open.