Novak Djokovic Reaches China Open Final After Medvedev's Default

Djokovic Advances to Final Amid Controversy

In Shenzhen, China, on October 5, Novak Djokovic secured his place in the final of the China Open after Daniil Medvedev was disqualified during their semi-final match in Beijing. The six-time champion was serving at 7-5, 5-3, 15/15 when a ball unexpectedly bounced off the back wall. Medvedev, reacting instinctively, hit the ball into the crowd, where it struck a spectator, leading to his default.

This marks Djokovic's first appearance in an ATP 500 final since he claimed the title in Astana in 2022. He is set to compete against fifth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur in the championship match on Tuesday, holding a 3-1 advantage in their ATP head-to-head encounters.

Djokovic expressed his surprise at the incident, stating, "A bit of a shock, to be honest. Sorry for the person [who got hit]. I honestly didn’t see what happened. I hope that person is not badly injured. On the other hand, I also feel sorry for Daniil, because I know exactly how he feels to be disqualified in a big match. I was disqualified at the 2020 US Open in similar circumstances. I am sure that Daniil didn’t want to do this intentionally. It just happens."

Prior to Medvedev's disqualification, the two players had engaged in a thrilling semi-final that lasted two hours and 29 minutes on Beijing's center court. Medvedev, fresh off his victory at the Hangzhou title the previous week, entered the match with an impressive eight-match winning streak and played confidently.

Despite an early setback, Djokovic managed to recover and took the first set, breaking Medvedev's serve twice in the second set to edge closer to victory. He remarked, "I was three points away from the win. It was a gruelling battle, and I definitely didn’t want [a] third set. It was looking like that. I don’t know how many break points I saved; it was crazy. It’s always a big battle with Daniil, and it’s so hard to play him when he’s feeling the ball well in slower conditions with a big serve. But we move on."