Djokovic Faces Zverev in Beijing: Health, Not Stamina
Novak Djokovic plays Alexander Zverev in the ATP Beijing quarterfinal at 1 pm CET today, and says a health problem he will not disclose has been bothering him.
Two matches in Beijing, two medical timeouts. Ahead of his quarterfinal with Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic said a health problem has been troubling him at the tournament, but he did not say what it is. The match starts today, October 4, at 1 pm Central European Time, and is broadcast by TV Arena Tenis.
Djokovic is ranked 11th in the world, while Zverev is second. The Serb has 31 wins and no losses in Beijing and six titles there, and this is his seventh quarterfinal at the event. A win would give him a 32nd straight victory in the Chinese capital and a place in the semifinals of a tournament with a $4,089,385 prize fund.
What did Djokovic say about his health?
As we reported, Djokovic beat Bu in three sets. After that match, Nova.rs reports, he said most of his matches this season have been “a real physical battle, and without any connection to readiness.” Arena Sport carries a fuller version of what he told reporters in Beijing before the quarterfinal:
“It is not about stamina, but about a problem that is more of a health nature. I do not want to reveal what exactly it is”
In the same statement, as relayed by Arena Sport, Djokovic says he does not want to go into detail because it could look like he is complaining or making excuses, and that he and his team are trying to establish the real cause of the problem.
The picture on court is mixed. Arena Sport notes that Djokovic called a medical timeout in both of his matches so far, so fans worry whether he can last a battle with an in-form German. Telegraf’s reporter Milos Becagovic, on the other hand, writes that midway through the second set against Bu something “clicked” in Djokovic, and that it was the first time we saw him play for a sustained stretch without his health problems. The same piece notes he also struggled in his match with Nuno Borges.
Djokovic is 39, and Arena Sport writes that he still dreams of playing at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, at the age of 41.
What kind of form is Zverev in?
The German is having a season Arena Sport calls a dream year. He won Roland Garros and the US Open, and Telegraf adds that he was also a Wimbledon finalist and could become the world number one in the coming weeks. Arena Sport says he can knock Jannik Sinner off the top spot. In the round of 16 he comfortably beat China’s Shang Juncheng 6-0, 6-3.
After that match Zverev said:
“He has won, what (?!), 31 matches in a row here. This will be one of the toughest challenges you can have in this sport on a hard court.”
He then added:
“He is playing great, I can’t wait for our duel to start. My ‘tank’ is full, I am not worried about that.”
Arena Sport carries both statements. In them Zverev spoke about Djokovic’s streak and his own readiness, and said nothing about his opponent’s health.
What does the head-to-head say?
It will be the 15th meeting between the two players. Djokovic leads 9-5. They first met in 2017 in the Rome Masters final, where Zverev won 6-4, 6-3. Their last meeting was in the 2025 Roland Garros quarterfinal, when the Serb turned the match around and won 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Before that, in the 2025 Australian Open semifinal, Djokovic retired after the first set, which he had won 7-6 (7-5).
The winner of today’s match will meet another player in the semifinal. The first semifinalist is already known: Hubert Hurkacz beat Karen Khachanov 7-6, 6-2, B92 reports. For the other spot in that round, Telegraf writes that the opponent comes from the match between Daniil Medvedev and Francisco Cerundolo, while B92 in its quarterfinal preview mentions Andrey Rublev alongside Cerundolo, so the two sources disagree about that part of the draw.
Djokovic and Zverev play the quarterfinal today at 1 pm, live on TV Arena Tenis.
