It has been a decade since tennis icon Novak Djokovic last competed at the China Open, though the Serbian continues to hold a unique place in the tournament\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
Djokovic\u2019s<\/a> impressive haul of six titles remains by far and away the most of any man in the history of the event, with Rafael Nadal<\/a> (two titles) the only other ATP star to have so far lifted the title more than once since the tournament relaunched in 2004.<\/p>\n And, the Serbian\u2019s record not only sets him apart in Beijing, it also sees him achieve a unique feat that remains unmatched since the ATP Tour officially launched in 1990 \u2014 one that could well be unbreakable for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n Djokovic\u2019s \u2018perfect\u2019 China Open feat<\/p>\n Djokovic contested the ATP 500 event on six separate occasions and triumphed every single time.<\/p>\n The Serbian defeated Marin Cilic to lift his first title in 2009, and successfully defended his title in 2010 with a victory over David Ferrer in the final.<\/p>\n He skipped the tournament in 2011, though returned in 2012 and beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final, before defeating Nadal in the 2013 final, Tomas Berdych, and Nadal for a second time in 2015.<\/p>\n Djokovic has not played at the tournament since then, meaning his perfect record of 29 wins from 29 matches at the event remains intact.<\/p>\n And, that is in fact a record on the ATP in the last 35 years.<\/p>\n Since 1990, no man on the ATP Tour has won as many matches \u2014 or as many titles \u2014 at the same ATP-level event without tasting a single defeat.<\/p>\n Tennis News<\/p>\n Jannik Sinner comment raises eyebrows as he congratulates Carlos Alcaraz for claiming world No 1 ranking<\/a><\/p>\n The \u2018best physio in the world\u2019 behind Carlos Alcaraz\u2019s incredible Japan Open injury recovery<\/a><\/p>\n This may not be the highest-profile record that Djokovic holds, but it is undoubtedly one of the most impressive, and could be incredibly hard to threaten.<\/p>\n Has anyone come close to Djokovic\u2019s record?<\/p>\n Since Djokovic extended the record in 2015, no one has yet come close to threatening it at any point over the past decade.<\/p>\n In reality, you have to go back to the 1990s to find the next two best records of any men remaining unbeaten at an ATP event.<\/p>\n Before Djokovic, the only man to have won 20 matches at any ATP event without losing a match was former world No 1 and 1995 French Open champion Thomas Muster<\/a>.<\/p>\n Muster won four straight Mexican Open \u2014 when the event was still held in Mexico City \u2014 from 1993-96, holding a perfect 20-0 record at the tournament.<\/p>\n Outside of Muster and Djokovic, the only other man to win 3+ titles at the same tournament without losing a match was Pete Sampras<\/a>, who won three Japan Open titles in Tokyo in 1993, 1994, and 1996.<\/p>\n