Novak Djokovic provided an update on his physical condition after advancing to the quarter-finals at the China Open in Beijing, revealing that health issues have made much of his 2026 season a significant challenge.
The Serbian battled past Buyunchaokete in three sets and in two hours and 51 minutes on Friday to maintain his perfect record at the ATP 500 event, where he is a six-time champion.
“Truth is that this year has been a big, big struggle for me with few particular issues that I've been having,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. “I've been just trying to find different ways to be at least giving myself a decent condition physically and health-wise to be on the court and compete with the player across the net. If the player beats me, if he's better, great.
“Most of the matches and tournaments this year that I've played have been a real, real struggle for me physically. That's nothing to do with stamina. People mix it up. It's not stamina. It's something else. More related to health. I don't want to be revealing what it is, but I'm trying to get to the bottom of it with my team. Sometimes it works better, sometimes it doesn't.”
Djokovic's comments offered a glimpse into the physical difficulties he has been managing throughout 2026. The former World No. 1's best result of the season came at the Australian Open, where he defeated Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals before falling to Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Djokovic arrived in Beijing after opening-round defeats at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati and the US Open, but has rediscovered his winning touch in the Chinese capital, where he has also defeated Nuno Borges.
The 39-year-old is now 31-0 at the China Open and has become the oldest ATP 500 quarter-finalist since the series began in 2009. There is plenty at stake beyond Beijing for Djokovic, who is 12th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and not yet qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, where he is a record seven-time champion. Competing at the prestigious year-end event remains a goal for the Serbian.
“At the moment I'm also not qualified yet for the race for Turin,” Djokovic said. “This year I would like to play if I qualify.”
Djokovic could face Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals in Beijing. The German will first take on Shang Juncheng on Saturday and trails Djokovic 5-9 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Djokovic won their most recent meeting at Roland Garros in 2025.
Watch Djokovic defeat Buyunchaokete in Beijing R2
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