ATP Tour

Djokovic breaks Nadal record with stunning start in Beijing

Novak Djokovic broke yet another record on Sunday at the China Open in Beijing, where he continued his remarkable unbeaten run at the ATP 500 event.

Djokovic beat top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals and extend his perfect record at the tournament to 32 matches. With his victory, the 39-year-old Serbian moved past Rafael Nadal for the best start at a single event by a men's singles player in the Open Era, with Nadal having won his first 31 matches at Roland Garros.

Best Starts to an Event in Open Era (Men's Singles)

Djokovic is a record six-time champion in Beijing and had won all 29 of his previous matches at the tournament before returning this year for the first time since 2015, when he defeated Nadal in the final to claim his sixth title.

Nadal ultimately finished with a 112-4 record at Roland Garros, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, winning the tournament a record 14 times. But it was his 31-match unbeaten start there that Djokovic surpassed on Sunday.

Although Djokovic has needed three sets in each of his past two matches in the Chinese capital — against Buyunchaokete and Zverev — the 39-year-old has kept his record intact and will next meet a fellow former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Daniil Medvedev.

John McEnroe and Mats Wilander each won their first 23 matches in Milan and Barcelona, respectively, while McEnroe also began his run in Sydney with 22 consecutive victories.