Novak Djokovic is still winning, but getting through matches has become increasingly difficult.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion said an undisclosed health problem has made much of his 2026 season a “big, big struggle” after he needed another medical timeout during his China Open victory on Friday.
Djokovic recovered from a set down to beat China’s Bu Yunchaokete 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 in the last 16 in Beijing, keeping his perfect China Open record intact at 31-0.
But the 39-year-old Serbian said his physical problems have followed him through much of the year.
“I don’t want to go into details because then it’s going to sound like I’m whining about something or looking for excuses,” Djokovic said.
“Truth is that this year has been a big, big struggle for me with few particular issues that I’ve been having.”
Djokovic stressed that the problem was not simply his stamina as he approaches 40.
“People mix it up. It’s not stamina. It’s something else. More related to health,” he said.
He declined to disclose the condition and said his team was still trying to determine its cause.
Another difficult match
Djokovic also required a medical timeout during his opening-round victory over Portugal’s Nuno Borges in Beijing.
His health had raised concerns at the U.S. Open, where he vomited during his shock first-round defeat and struggled with back and shoulder problems that affected his serve.
It was his earliest Grand Slam exit since the 2006 Australian Open.
Djokovic, who has dropped out of the world’s top 10, returned to the China Open after an 11-year absence hoping to regain momentum late in the season.
Against Bu, he said something finally changed toward the end of the second set.
“I felt better,” Djokovic said. “Towards the end of the second and all third set, I felt fresher than I have in the beginning of the match.”
Still, the health problem has made competing more mentally draining.
“It’s not fun when you’re feeling like that on the court because then I’m investing my emotional, mental energy, and physical of course, more on the issues that I’m having rather than thinking about the game and how I can beat my opponent,” he said.
Djokovic has won the China Open a record six times, with his last title coming in 2015.
Now, 11 years later and still unbeaten in Beijing, the question is no longer whether Djokovic knows how to win there. It’s whether his body will let him keep doing it. Reuters
