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Novak Djokovic said he was encouraged by the way his body was responding ahead of the China Open as the 24-times Grand Slam champion looks to regain momentum at a happy hunting ground after recent fitness concerns.Djokovic will return to action for the first time since his shock opening-round defeat by Mariano Navone at the US Open late last month, when the 39-year-old struggled with shoulder and back problems and vomited midway through the match.The world number 11 will look to put those problems behind him when he takes on Portugal's Nuno Borges in the first round in Beijing this week."Yeah, feeling good so far," six-times China Open champion Djokovic told reporters."Let's see. Obviously it's completely different when you're playing an official match compared to practice sets or practice sessions. But so far so good."I was looking forward to coming to China, as I always have. My record speaks for itself on Chinese soil."Knowing that, it also brings this dimension of confidence that I really need. Overall, it's been really good so far with the body, the way I'm feeling and playing." DJOKOVIC A MASSIVE DRAW IN CHINAThe former world number one is a massive draw in Beijing, where he won the title in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 and holds a 29-0 win-loss record at the ATP 500 tournament.The pursuit of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title remains one of the few major targets left for Djokovic, who has become increasingly selective about his tournament schedule in recent years."At this stage of my career it's really also about the tournaments where I enjoy to play, where I've had the success in the past, where I feel like I'm also welcomed by the fans in a positive light, in a positive way," Djokovic added."The history of my results on Chinese soil has been incredible. I haven't played here 11 years. I was trying to make it work in the past years with the schedule, but it worked in such way where I played only Shanghai."This year Beijing was on the priority list." 

World No.1 Jannik Sinner delayed his return to the courts when he withdrew from next week's China Open in Beijing on Friday having been out of action since his Wimbledon title in July due to a right knee injury."I won't be able to play in Beijing this year. My knee is not there where I would like it to be and I'm not ready to compete yet but I will do everything possible to be there as soon as I can," the Italian defending champion said on X.The five-time Grand Slam winner has not played since winning Wimbledon on July 12, pulling out of the US Open last month.Sinner, 25, had been dominating the 2026 season with an impressive record of 44 wins against three losses and six titles won, including Wimbledon.However, he suffered a major disappointment at the French Open, where he arrived as the overwhelming favourite but crashed out in the second round after suffering in a heatwave. ZVEREV'S CHANCE TO GET NO.1 RANKINGThe absence of the tour's top player in Beijing increases the chances for his closest rival, Alexander Zverev, to move to the top of the ATP rankings for the first time by the end of the season.At the moment, 1,810 points separate the world's top two players. But that gap will shrink by at least 440 points in the next ATP rankings.Sinner also has significantly more points to defend than the German between now and the end of the season, since in 2025 he won the ATP 500 events in Beijing and Vienna, the Paris Masters 1000 and the ATP Finals in Turin, which award 1,500 points to the winner.Zverev, 29, was far less effective at the end of last season and will therefore be able to rack up more points than Sinner in the year's final tournaments.Having won the first two Grand Slam titles of his career in 2026, at Roland Garros and the US Open, Zverev reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and the final at Wimbledon, the German is enjoying the best season of his career.He is entered in tournaments in Beijing, Shanghai and Vienna over the coming weeks. 

Novak Djokovic will return to the China Open after an 11-year absence, the 24-times Grand Slam champion announced on Wednesday, as he looks to rebuild momentum after slipping to world number 12 and suffering a shock first-round exit at the U.S. Open.The 39-year-old Serb is returning to the ATP 500 event in Beijing, where he boasts a perfect record and a tournament-best six titles.Djokovic's most recent China Open triumph came in 2015, the last year he competed at the tournament.The decision follows his first-round loss at the U.S. Open to unseeded Argentine Mariano Navone in five sets.Djokovic, a four-times champion in New York, vomited midway through the match and was hampered by back and shoulder issues that affected his serve late on.The defeat marked the first time Djokovic had lost in the opening round of a Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open."I am excited to come back and perform in front of all of you at the National Tennis Centre - one of the nicest venues we have in tennis," the former world number one said on social media.The men's draw at the China Open runs from September 30 to October 6.World number one Jannik Sinner won the men's title last year. 

Taiwan's Chou Tien-chen overpowered his opponent in the China Open men's singles final on Sunday, becoming the oldest tournament champion in the category at age 36.World number six Chou vanquished 27-year-old Toma Junior Popov of France in three games, 21-15, 7-21, 21-13, to claim his first Super 1000 title since winning the Indonesia Open in 2019.The veteran needed just over an hour to seal the outcome in the championship matchup in Changzhou, eastern China.When an official video review showed that a final return from Popov had dropped out of bounds, an exhausted and emotional Chou kneeled face-down on the court, hands outstretched in victory.Popov, ranked 16th worldwide, had been chasing his first victory at a Super 1000 tournament.His younger brother Christo, ranked fifth, was eliminated in the round of 16 at this year's China Open.Earlier on Sunday, Japan's Akane Yamaguchi defeated host-country hope Chen Yufei to win the top prize in the women's singles final with an efficient 21-18, 21-16 performance.The final pairing represented a rematch of last year's World Championship in Paris, which was also won by Yamaguchi.26-year-old Yamaguchi is a three-time world champion and current world number three.In women's doubles, hosts Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning of China defeated Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto of Japan in two games, 21-14, 21-19.The men's doubles competition saw reigning champions Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri of Indonesia defend their title, beating South Korea's Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae in come-from-behind fashion 16-21, 21-19, 21-19.In the mixed doubles final, an all-China matchup saw Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui take down compatriots Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping in a closely contested 25-23, 20-22, 21-15 marathon lasting 88 minutes. 

World number two Jannik Sinner launched his Shanghai Masters title defence Saturday by breezing past Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-3 while Alexander Zverev advanced despite toe trouble.Sinner, fresh from winning the China Open, broke early in both sets to take control and ease himself comfortably into the third round.The 49th-ranked Altmaier’s best chance came in the eighth game of the first set, but he failed to convert a breakpoint twice, allowing the Italian to hold with an ace.The second set provided even less opportunity to seriously bother the 24-year-old Wimbledon champion, but afterwards Sinner said it had been more difficult than it looked.“First match is never easy, especially when you don’t have a lot of time to adjust,” he said.“(Altmaier) is a very tough player, very talented... I just tried to stay mentally in a good point,” he added.“When I broke him twice very early in the set it gave me the confidence to serve the match out, so I’m very happy.”Sinner’s path to retaining the title has been made easier by the withdrawal of great rival Carlos Alcaraz, who dropped out last minute to rest.The Italian’s next match is Sunday against the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor.Four-time Shanghai champion Novak Djokovic will take to the court again Sunday as well, facing Germany’s 150th-ranked Yannick Hanfmann.The tournament lost another top-10 player as Karen Khachanov was defeated by China’s Shang Juncheng 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.Shang, ranked 237th after slipping down the rankings due to injury, was egged on by an increasingly raucous crowd as ninth seed Khachanov flagged.Shang broke in the eighth game of the second set with a backhand.“I think I played well on the whole but I think everyone (in the crowd) must have put a lot of pressure on him,” the 20-year-old Shang laughed.World number three Zverev overcame an injury to his big toe to book his place in the third round, beating France’s Valentin Royer 6-4, 6-4.The German had a blistering start, breaking Royer in the first game and then sending down three aces to easily hold the second.The Frenchman found his feet but a crucial stumble saw him miss a break point in the eighth game, and Zverev took the set.Both players missed chances to break in the second, wowing the crowd with multiple tense rallies.Zverev finally broke in the ninth game then held the last game to win, despite having to take a medical break after limping off court.“It’s not a nice feeling to finish a match like that,” Zverev said afterwards, wincing.He said he sustained the injury during the follow-through of his serve, and would have it assessed Sunday.“I really don’t know what happened, so we’re going to check it out,” he said.World number seven Alex de Minaur comfortably dispatched Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-4, 6-2.Russian Andrey Rublev, ranked 14th, was upset by qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.But compatriot Daniil Medvedev dominated qualifier Dalibor Svrcina to advance 6-1, 6-1.