He Didn't Even Need To Finish

Thirty-three China Open matches. Thirty-three wins. And the thirty-third came without a finished match. How Novak Djokovic made Beijing his tournament: every match there since his debut, across 17 years and an 11-year absence. Nadal won his first 31 matches at Roland-Garros. Monica Seles won her first 33 in Melbourne. Djokovic reached the China Open final level with Seles, after a semi-final against Daniil Medvedev that ended in a default. Six years earlier, in New York, a default had ended his own US Open. One final stood between him and one more than Seles. CHAPTERS 00:00 The Count 00:30 First Visit 01:49 The Win That Didn't Count 03:17 Frozen at 29 05:10 Eleven Years Later 07:26 The Top Seed 08:44 Three Points Away 12:09 The Match That Never Was 14:06 The Final