Novak Djokovic draws Nuno Borges in round one and could meet top seed Alexander Zverev in the China Open quarter-finals. The six-time champion is unbeaten in Beijing but returns for the first time since 2015 as the sixth seed; play begins Sept. 30.
Juan Manuel Cerundolo or Yunchaokete Bu could be Djokovic’s second-round opponent. He leads Zverev 9-5 in their head-to-head, though they have not played since Zverev became a major champion. Daniil Medvedev could follow, with second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime projected to reach the final from the other half.
Djokovic returns after a first-round loss at the US Open and has not won a match since Wimbledon. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from Beijing because of an ongoing knee injury.
