Novak Djokovic has endured a difficult time of it of late as father time looks to be catching up with the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Djokovic suffered back-to-back first round exits at the Cincinnati Open and the US Open, losing to Thiago Agustin Tirante and Mariano Navone.
In order to combat his form issues, Djokovic is set to play the China Open for the first time in 11 years.
While Djokovic should be applauded for continue to push himself on the ATP Tour, particularly at tournaments he has rarely played in recent years, the Serbian is actually putting one of his best-ever tennis records on the line by playing the ATP 500 event.
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Djokovic holds an astonishing record at the China Open, having won the tournament in all six of the times he’s playing the Beijing event.
That means Djokovic is currently 29-0 at the China Open, which, of course, will be under threat should he not win the iconic tournament.
With Djokovic’s form heading into the tournament, there is more than a chance that the Serbian could suffer his first-ever defeat at the tournament.
The China Open features a stacked field too, with six of the ATP Tour top 10 set to play the Beijing tournament.
Djokovic will be brushing shoulders with US Open champion Alexander Zverev, a returning Jannik Sinner, as well as Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, and Alex de Minaur.
It’s a brave move from Djokovic, particularly when it would have been just as easy to play the Japan Open, which takes place in Tokyo in the same week.
Carlos Alcaraz is playing the ATP 500 tournament, but there is only four members of the top 10 at the event, including Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and Taylor Fritz.
Perhaps Djokovic’s latest decision is just another sign that the star is preparing to wave goodbye to the sport.
The star opting to play the China Open for the first time since 2015 has a ‘retirement tour’ feeling, as the Serbian clearly wants to wave goodbye to tennis fans all around the world.
The China Open takes place between the 30th September and the 6th October and it will kickstart the the ATP Tour’s Asian swing.
Djokovic is also expected to play the Shanghai Masters, the penultimate Masters event on the ATP Tour calendar, which takes place the following week.
It could be a busy period for the 24-time Grand Slam champion, but will it be one last hurrah before the tennis legend decides to hang up his racket for good?
