\u201cI was feeling quite good, then felt something midway\/end of the first set that gradually got a little worse,\u201d explained de Minaur after Djokovic had won his 102nd career title despite his own physical struggles.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt something in the adductor. I don\u2019t know what it is yet. I\u2019ve got to get some more scans. My plan is to go to Shanghai and get scans.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Jannik Sinner\u2019s revelation on Tuesday that his season\u2019s over because of knee trouble, de Minaur is now eighth in the Race to Turin live standings, which would get him in the end-of-season ATP Finals again should he maintain that position.<\/p>\n
![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/72a8962f226bb7e78ccb11db005e4bd8d944bee7.jpg\")
Alex de Minaur was left a picture of dismay after injury ruined his China Open final dream. Credit: AAP<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s a tight turnaround with the Australian set to open his Shanghai campaign on Friday or Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t feel great,\u201d de Minaur sighed, apologising to the Chinese National Tennis Centre crowd for his withdrawal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want to finish like this, so really, really sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
The extraordinary twist after a high-quality tussle was that it had been Djokovic who\u2019d looked far more likely to retire after calling for the trainer to treat his continuing unspecified on-court medical ailments that have beset him all season.<\/p>\n
But after Djokovic\u2019s on-court treatment following a tight first set which was eventually decided after 67 minutes by three de Minaur forehand errors in the breaker, it was de Minaur\u2019s turn to immediately receive an off-court medical timeout, even though there\u2019d been no signs of a problem.<\/p>\n
When he returned, his left thigh heavily strapped, and held serve impressive to launch the second set, there was shock all round as de Minaur suddenly approached the net gloomily to offer his hand, explaining he couldn\u2019t carry on.<\/p>\n
It was an anti-climactic end to a brilliant, lung-busting contest, with the 39-year-old Djokovic, incredibly, celebrating his first triumph of the year to maintain his unreal record of a tournament win in each of the last 21 seasons.<\/p>\n
Even de Minaur felt moved to tell Djokovic: \u201cIt was pretty amazing as a fan of the sport to watch the tennis you produced this whole week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Djokovic, in response, told de Minaur after lifting the trophy for the seventh time and continuing his unreal record of 34 match wins and no losses in Beijing: \u201cI\u2019m really sorry for the way it had to finish today and I hope you can recover quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Daniil Medvedev had a day earlier been defaulted for hitting a spectator in the face with a ball petulantly swatted away, Djokovic mused: \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s happened ever in my career that I have won semis and finals without finishing the match – a bit of a strange feeling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to celebrate because I\u2019ve played one of my best weeks in the last couple of years, but at the same time, Alex retired so it doesn\u2019t kind of feel right and respectful to jump around and be joyful.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut deep inside, I\u2019m very, very proud of this achievement. It\u2019s been a challenging year. Many times I\u2019ve questioned whether I want to play, keep on playing this way, but this week has proven me wrong once again and given me a great confidence boost for the rest of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for \u2018Demon\u2019, it\u2019s not all been so deflating amid a promising late-season renaissance. \u201cI played some great stuff, felt amazing on the court,\u201d he sighed. \u201cEverything except for the end was really positive.\u201d<\/p>\n