Novak Djokovic enters the 2026 China Open in Beijing facing a unique test of perfection: defending a flawless 29-0 career record at the ATP 500 tournament against Portuguese player Nuno Borges in his opening match. The 39-year-old Serbian star returns to the hard courts of the Chinese capital for the first time in 11 years, carrying six tournament titles and an astonishing streak of 27 sets won at the venue.
Djokovic arrives at the tournament as the sixth seed. His last appearance in Beijing came in 2015, when he defeated Rafael Nadal in the final to cement a tournament history where he has never tasted defeat across at least three appearances. Records show that the last player to take a set off Djokovic in Beijing was Fernando Verdasco during the second round in 2013. Since then, the has swept every single frame he has played in the city.
Ranking Context and Recent Form
The veteran champion steps onto the court at the eleventh spot in the ATP rankings. He slipped out of the top ten following a first-round exit at the US Open against Argentina’s Mariano Navone.
The Historical Numbers in Beijing
Beyond the unblemished 29-0 match record, the statistical dominance Djokovic holds in Beijing stands out in modern tennis history. Tour statistics confirm that no other active player holds a perfect record of this magnitude at an event played three times or more.
The matchup against Borges marks the official start of Djokovic’s 2026 campaign in the Chinese capital, putting his historic streak directly on the line under the lights in Beijing.
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