Novak Djokovic made a stunning comeback after going a set down to beat the top seed Alexander Zverev, securing his spot in the China Open semifinals.
The 39-year-old Serbian star won by 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 against World No. 2 Zverec and set up a clash with Daniil Medvedev in the last four.
Djokovic’s win over German star Zverev dashed his hopes to wrap up the year as the world’s number one-ranked player.
“These are the kind of moments that I still play for, compete for,” Djokovic said in a post-match interview.
“The motivation is big when you are feeling good and competing at par with the best players in the world in front of 15,000 people.
“These are the kind of moments that define dreams, I think, of every tennis player,” he continued.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner has extended his winning streak in Beijing to 32 matches as he closes in on a seventh China Open title.
“It’s been a struggle this year for different reasons.
“But I’m still there, still grinding, still making the youngesters work for their money. I’m just glad to push it through,” Djokovic added.
Djokovic will face third seed Medvedev, who earlier defeated Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (7-4) 6-3, on Monday, October 5, 2026.
