Ageless. Timeless. A true legend of the sport. Novak Djokovic has done it again.
Heading into today’s quarter-final clash with the in-form Alexander Zverev, few gave him a chance of outlasting the two-time major champion.
After all, whilst he had scrambled his way through his opening two matches at the China Open, the German had barely broken a sweat.
Djokovic had alluded to suffering from health problems once again in the lead-up, whereas Zverev ‘fancied his chances’ of ending the 39-year-old’s incredible unbeaten streak here in Beijing.
That being said, he was also wary of his history on this court. He was right to be.
Novak Djokovic claims Alexander Zverev is the best player in the world right now
Following his US Open triumph, a second Grand Slam title in 2026 alone, many, including Carlos Alcaraz, had started labelling Zverev as the best player in the world right now.
Jannik Sinner’s injury absence obviously aids that suggestion, but it does feel hard to argue with.
Novak Djokovic would hope that to be the case, because that would mean he has just claimed the biggest scalp of his season since beating the true world number one in Melbourne back in January.
The Serbian said as much in his post-match interview with Sky Sports, reviewing the match: “I had a terrible start, you know, two double faults in the beginning. It was quite cold. Honestly, I didn’t feel warmed up, but my fault, you know, gave him an early break, and it was hard to come back in the first set.
“I had a couple of break points to break him back, and when he was serving for a set at 5-4… didn’t use that. But then, I kind of felt already, from the midway through the first set, I was starting to get a good rhythm, at least on my serve, serve plus one, I was trying to be aggressive and come to the net and, you know, change up the pace, you know, not giving the same pattern, you know?
“And he’s the best player in the world at the moment, for sure. On a huge run, and confidence. So, you know, when he’s serving the way he was serving tonight, or whatever, the whole year, it’s just a nightmare for the opponent, you know, you don’t have too many opportunities, and when they’re presented, if you don’t use them, it’s frustrating.
“So I’m just glad that, you know, I kind of, yeah, held my nerves, played, I guess, good shots, and read his serve in the important moments at 5-4 in both second and third.”
Asked by the interviewer just how he keeps defying father time, even after such an arduous and unforgiving season, Djokovic added: “I mean, to be honest, these are kind of moments that I still play for, compete for.
“I mean, motivation is big, obviously, when you’re feeling good and competing at par with the best players in the world in front of 15,000 people. Of course, these are the kind of moments that define dreams of every tennis player.
“So, yeah, I mean, it’s been a struggle this year, to be honest, for different reasons, but I’m still there, still grinding. I’m still making the youngsters work for their money and just glad to push it through.”
Djokovic has now extended his winning run at the China Open to an astounding 32 wins and zero losses, overtaking Rafael Nadal’s 31-0 maiden winning streak at Roland Garros.
