A shock US Open exit in the first round in the late hours of Sunday left many wondering whether the time had finally arrived for the last member of the Big Three to say goodbye to tennis. Roger Federer exited in 2022. Rafael Nadal followed in 2024. Novak Djokovic, in that period, won three more Grand Slams to take his career tally to 24, an unprecedented feat in the Open Era.
But the last of those Slam titles came at the US Open in September 2023. The rise of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in men’s tennis saw Djokovic gradually fade from the conversation as a favourite at the majors. He kept pushing, making the semi-finals at all four Grand Slams in 2025 before reaching the Australian Open final in 2026. But physical struggles held him back at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and those problems resurfaced painfully during his US Open first-round match last Sunday.
The Serb was seen vomiting multiple times on court and struggled to move because of shoulder and back pain, while his serve dropped into the mid-90s.
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Djokovic, who has won four of his 24 Grand Slam titles at the US Open, suffered his first-ever opening-round exit in New York and his first at a Grand Slam in 20 years. It was a defeat that left many questioning what the future holds for the 39-year-old.
But Djokovic isn’t giving up yet.
While experts have been discussing what’s next for Djokovic after the US Open shock, the Serb has already plotted his next move. At the end of this month, Djokovic will travel to China for the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing, where Sinner is also set to return after missing the US Open because of injury.
Djokovic is among the names on the entry list for the Beijing Open, where he has won six titles — in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. He will return to the tournament for the first time since 2015, when he defeated Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-2 in the final, and boasts a stunning 29-0 record in Beijing.
The tournament will also feature several other top players, including Alexander Zverev, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Flavio Cobolli, Alex de Minaur, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Bublik and Jakub Mensik.
