Not in the court, but in the eye: Medvedev ended his speech in Beijing with disqualification

Novak Djokovic won his 33rd match in a row at the Beijing tournament. Following Alexander Zverev, he beat Daniil Medvedev. Moreover, the match ended with an unpleasant incident when Daniel accidentally hit a ball in the head of a fan. Djokovic, who was serving for the match (with the score at 5:3.15:15), asked the judges to continue the game, but they were adamant. This situation may cost the Russian entry to the Final ATP tournament if the harsh sanctions against him remain in force.

The swing of the first set

Medvedev got into great shape at the end of the season. Before the match with the most decorated tennis player in history, Daniil was on a seven—game winning streak, winning the ATP 250 tournament in Hangzhou last week and making a solid start in Beijing. Medvedev beat Pablo Carreno Busta, Jan-Lennard Struff in two sets (taking revenge from the German for his defeat at Wimbledon 2026) and Francisco Serundolo.

Winning every match is important for Daniel right now, because he is fighting to qualify for the Final ATP tournament. Djokovic cannot boast of such stability now. After the semifinals at Wimbledon 2026, the great Serbian lost at the start of tournaments in Cincinnati and New York. But at his favorite "five hundred" in Beijing (32 wins in a row) Novak continued to dominate, although he had two three-set matches, including in the quarterfinals with Alexander Zverev.

"It's for moments like this that I still play and compete," Djokovic admitted after defeating the champions of two world cups this year. — It's very motivating when you feel good and compete on equal terms with the best players in the world, playing in front of 15,000 spectators. I think these are the moments that every tennis player dreams of. To be honest, this year has been difficult for various reasons, but I'm still here and still digging in. I still get young guys to work for their money. It's clear that my recovery is getting harder and harder every year, but I'll try to win the title here again.

This circumstance made Medvedev the favorite of the match among the bookmakers. After all, after a 160-minute battle with the second racket of the world, the 39-year-old veteran might not recover in one day. The first set was partly a confirmation of this theory. Djokovic was not perfect. Daniil scored three break points in the first game, but Novak managed to win them back. In the fifth game, the Russian again failed to make three attempts at the reception, but still managed to make a break from the fourth, finally winning a protracted rally (3:2). However, it was not possible to confirm the break. Medvedev started his game with two unforced errors. The opponent seized his chances and soon equalized the score.

Daniil earned the next break point on "exactly" the ninth game, but the next prolonged draw remained for Novak. It was felt in every move of Djokovic that it was very difficult for him (he squatted down twice in the pause between draws), but this did not prevent him from securing a minimum tie-break (and even earning a set point at the reception). Unfortunately, Daniel could not do the same. In the 12th game, he scored a double at 0:15, and then allowed his opponent to score a triple set point. On the second attempt, Novak closed the opening set. With all his flaws (three doubles, no aces), he showed a performance of 8.9 (Medvedev's 8.2).

An unsuccessful strike

The opening game lasted 78 minutes, but Novak started the second set very cheerfully. He easily won his serve and earned a break point in the second game. Medvedev literally had to win every draw with blood and sweat, breaking through the Serbian wall. Winning two long draws in a row helped Daniel regain his confidence. After that, he again earned three break points (40:0), but Djokovic again found the strength to win three draws in a row. Moreover, with the score at 40:30, Daniel could not score an easy smash at the net. The fourth break point was overshadowed by an unsuccessful shortened Russian, and the fifth was a 23—stroke rally, which was left to the Serbian. Novak won back his sixth break point in a 26-shot rally. The seventh did not happen.

The parade of unrealized opportunities continued in the fifth game. This time, Djokovic won back two break points, and in the sixth, he made a break on the second attempt (4:2). After the game, Daniel called a physiotherapist to the court, complaining of shoulder problems. The medical break was good for Daniel. He won another long draw, after which Djokovic collapsed on the court and did not get up for about 10 seconds (30:15). After that, Medvedev earned a double break point and finally realized it. But, as in the first set, immediately after the break, the Russian began to decline. He gave up his serve very easily and allowed Novak to serve for the match. In the ninth game, a strange episode happened: at 0:15, Djokovic hit the line, and Medvedev angrily hit the ball after losing the draw ... but hit the head of a Chinese fan watching the match from the front row. He held his eye for a long time, and the referees and supervisor quickly decided to disqualify the Russian, despite the Serb's requests to continue the match.

"Despite the crumpled ending, the match was a success and the audience enjoyed it from the point of view of tennis aesthetics," Alexey Selivanenko, a member of the committee of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, told Izvestia. — Novak has once again shown his character as a gladiator and his ability to find internal resources in difficult moments. The story does not have a subjunctive mood, and I would not engage in speculation about what might happen in the next draws. Rules are rules, Novak himself was in a similar situation at the time (At the 2020 US Open, he accidentally hit the line referee with the ball. — Ed.).

Daniil will lose all rating points and prizes for his performance in Beijing after being disqualified. In addition, Medvedev will lose 200 points for last year's semi-final and will drop out of the top 5. Despite the fact that today, in the updated ranking, a Russian returned to the top five for the first time since January 2025. Also, the tennis player is likely to receive an additional fine. Now it will be difficult for the Russian to get to the Final, although there are still chances of an appeal. In 2024, Rublev managed to get his points and prize money back after being disqualified for shouting at a referee in a semifinal match in Dubai.