Former world No 1 Novak Djokovic won his seventh China Open title without needing a match point in his semi-final and final.
Djokovic, who was awarded a win after his semi-final opponent Daniil Medvedev was disqualified after hitting a spectator with the ball, claimed the 102nd title of his career following the retirement of De Minaur in the final.
De Minaur, who left the court for a medical timeout after the first set, continued playing with a heavy bandage on his left thigh. But he could not continue after winning the first game of the second set.
Djokovic narrowly won the first set, with the match poised at 7-6 (7-3) 0-1 when De Minaur retired.
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Daniil Medvedev was defaulted against Novak Djokovic during the China Open after hitting a ball at a spectator
Novak Djokovic in Beijing
34 wins
0 losses
5 sets dropped in 34 matches
12 top 10 wins
7 titles
“It’s been 11 years since I last played here,” Djokovic explained during the trophy ceremony. “I always have high expectations of myself and always want to visualise myself with the trophy, particularly here in Beijing, a place where I have never lost. But I was also aware that reality is a little bit different these days.”
The 102nd tour-level title of Djokovic’s career moves him within one of Roger Federer’s 103 for second-most in the Open Era, behind only Jimmy Connors’ 109.
The 39-year-old Serbian also extended his perfect record at the ATP 500 event to 34-0.
It has also significantly strengthened his hopes of returning to the Nitto ATP Finals this year.
The two had gone toe to toe in the first set, targeting the baseline to pressure each other.
De Minaur almost broke Djokovic in the fifth game but the Serbian saved the break point with a full-stretch backhand down the sideline.
The Australian held firm but the 27-year-old’s error count increased during the tie-break to hand the first set to Djokovic.
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An exhausted Djokovic also needed treatment during the break and the 39-year-old was surprised when De Minaur signalled the end of the match.
“This year has been quite challenging for me: Lots of physical and health issues” Djokovic said.
“I was just trying to find a good feeling on the court. I know that I’m feeling well and striking the ball well, I can compete at the highest level. This week has been evidence of that.”
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Highlights of Djokovic against De Minaur in the China Open final
“I want to say sorry to all the amazing fans who came to watch this match,” said De Minaur, who last retired from an official match in 2017 when he was a teenager. “I didn’t want to finish like this, so I’m really sorry. To my team – those who are here and also back home – thank you. It’s been a great week and I’m sure there’s plenty more to come.”
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‘We do not want to see matches end in retirement’
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De Minaur was close to tears after having to retire in Beijing
“It’s just the anticlimactic nature of it,” a shocked former British No 1 Johanna Konta told Sky Sports Tennis. “You don’t have the release of emotions.
“Djokovic was the best player this week because you can only ask a player to deal with the challenges that are presented to them and he dealt with the challenges that were ahead of him and that’s all there is to it.
“We do not want to see matches end in retirement and Djokovic himself probably wouldn’t want that either. However, I’m sure he was pleased that he wasn’t necessarily stretched to his physical limits but he will be pleased with the good things that he did do this week.
“I would have been less surprised had Novak Djokovic retired.”
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