Djokovic returns to Beijing after 11 years: a 30-0 fortress record and the racquets of the 2026 China Open
Novak Djokovic is back at the ATP 500 in Beijing — a city where he has never lost (30-0, six titles in six visits) — and opened his return by beating Borges (6-3, 7-6(2)) in his first match since Wimbledon. Second seed Auger-Aliassime is already out: here are the racquets of the favourites still alive.
Redacción PalaComparer · · 5 min read
The China Open in Beijing (an ATP 500 running from September 30 to October 6 at the National Tennis Center, with 500 points and $764,750 for the champion) is underway, and it has one story above all others: Novak Djokovic is back in his fortress eleven years after his last visit, carrying a record of 30 wins and 0 losses in the Chinese capital. And he marked the return in style, winning his first official match since Wimbledon.
Djokovic, back in an unbeaten fortress
Six appearances in Beijing, six titles and a 30-0 record that remains intact after his opener: on Wednesday he beat Portugal's Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6(2) in one hour and 50 minutes, in his first official match since Wimbledon after more than two months off. Beijing had been waiting for his return since 2015, and the Serb is answering exactly as he always has in the city where his great Asian streak began.
His next opponent will be home wildcard Bu Yunchaokete (world No. 104), who knocked out Juan Manuel Cerúndolo 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 and has the home crowd behind him. The road to the final is packed with big names, but day one already delivered a warning: second seed Félix Auger-Aliassime fell in his debut, 6-3, 6-3 against Karen Khachanov.
The favourites' racquets, from our catalog
- Novak Djokovic — Head Speed MP 2026from 195,49 €: from the Serb's Speed line, 100 sq in, 315 g, a 16x19 pattern and just 60 RA stiffness. The huge sweet spot and low flex are the perfect recipe for his game: flat ball into the midcourt, depth, and a defense that turns every tough ball into a point-start.
- Alexander Zverev — Head Gravity Tour Zverev 2026from 228,95 €: first seed and double Grand Slam champion in 2026 (the French Open and the US Open, both with this frame). The 98 sq-in Gravity Tour at 323 g is the first Gravity with an open 16x19 pattern: more spin without losing the comfort that has protected his arm.
- Daniil Medvedev — Tecnifibre TFight 305Sfrom 209,99 €: third seed. At 98 sq in, 320 g and a dense 18x19 pattern, the TFight 305S is the signature of his game: direction and depth over raw power. Jan-Lennard Struff (who beat Tirante 6-1, 6-4) awaits the winner of his section in the last 16.
- Jakub Menšík — Wilson Blade 98 16x19 v10from 169,99 €: eighth seed and Czech tennis's great hope; he plays the Blade 98 v10, the tenth generation of the tour's most-used frame (in our catalog, the 16x19 version: 323 g, 62 RA). Flexible control for an aggressive baseliner who opens against Alexander Bublik in one of the most attractive first-round ties.
Day one claimed an illustrious victim
Wednesday's shock came from Karen Khachanov, who knocked out Auger-Aliassime (2) 6-3, 6-3: the Canadian leaves Beijing without a win, a huge loss in a draw that also misses 2025 champion Jannik Sinner, absent with a knee injury. The rest of the winners' list was completed by Struff (6-1, 6-4 vs Tirante) and Bu Yunchaokete, Cerúndolo's conqueror (6-2, 5-7, 6-4) and Djokovic's next opponent.
