Novak Djokovic gives his verdict on the current state of Chinese tennis, ‘it’s important’

Novak Djokovic will face Chinese player Yunchaokete Bu in his next match at the China Open.

Djokovic beat Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6(2) in his first round match in Beijing, returning to winning ways after losing three matches in a row.

This has continued the Serbian’s dominance at the ATP 500 tournament, with Djokovic unbeaten in his 30 matches at the China Open.

Djokovic will now look ahead to his second round match against Bu, and he has spoken about the current state of Chinese tennis.

Djokovic admitted being surprised by the amount of support he received from the Chinese crowd in Beijing for his first round match against Borges, but he may not receive as much of the fanfare against Bu.

When asked about this upcoming match, Djokovic spoke about the current state of Chinese tennis, as he highlighted how important it is to see the recent improvements the country has made. Djokovic also pointed out that the Chinese men still have a way to go to catch the success the Chinese women have achieved, with the now-retired Li Na now a two-time Grand Slam champion and Qinwen Zheng the reigning Olympic champion.

“Well, playing Chinese player in China is definitely not fun (smiling),” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference after beating Borges. “I’m sure it’s going to be [an] electric atmosphere. He’s going to have a lot of support.

“But at the same time I like my chances when I’m playing this kind of level of tennis. I like my chances really against anyone. So just hopefully physically I can be fit, I can be fresh.

“We’ll probably most likely play the night session again in a few days’ time. Let’s see. It’s a bit cooler conditions from the first days of training. The ball slows down a bit. The bounce is lower. So I think it favours players like Bu, who likes to play fast and flat, plays quite aggressive and close to the line. I have seen him play a little bit. Of course, I’m going to have to do my analysis. I played [Yibing] Wu as well in Wimbledon the first time.

“It’s good to see the up-and-coming men’s tennis players from China doing well. They possess quality. It was just a matter of time when China was going to produce talent on the men’s side. On the women’s side we know you have champions. The men’s side is still not at the level of the women’s, but it’s getting there.

“I think it’s important for a country like China, who really invests a lot in tennis, and they have done that over the past few decades, so it’s important that you have multiple quality players competing at the highest level, both men’s and women’s. I’m glad they’re all doing well. Hopefully Bu will stop doing well in a few days’ time.”

Bu will only be the third Chinese player Djokovic has ever faced on the ATP Tour.

The other two Chinese players Djokovic has faced are Zhizhen Zhang (United Cup 2024) and Yibing Wu (Wimbledon 2026), both of whom are history-makers for their country.

Wu became the first ever player from China to win an ATP title at the 2023 Dallas Open, while Zhang reached the highest ranking of any Chinese player in July 2024 when he reached his career-high of world number 31.

Djokovic beat both Zhang and Wu, with the latter match taking place at Wimbledon this year, and he will be hoping to do so again against Bu at the China Open.

The second round match between Djokovic and Bu will take place in Beijing on Friday, October 2.