“It’s not stamina, it’s something else, related to health”: Djokovic on the enigma behind his 2026 form
After a second medical timeout in two matches in Beijing, Novak Djokovic ruled out the explanation everyone has been using for his season: “It’s not stamina. It’s something else. More related to health.” He won’t say what it is, and still plans to play Paris and, if he qualifies, Turin.
Novak Djokovic, Cincinnati 2026 | © Photo by Luke Schlaifer /Wick Photography for Cincinnati Open
Novak Djokovic won again in Beijing, and spent the press conference afterward explaining why winning has stopped being the hard part.
The 39-year-old beat China’s Bu Yunchaokete 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 on Friday to stay unbeaten in the Chinese capital at 31-0 and reach the China Open quarterfinals, but needed a medical timeout to do it, his second in two matches at the tournament. He had already been treated during his opening win over Nuno Borges, 6-3, 7-6 (2), and against Bu he appeared uncomfortable around the ribs.
“The truth is that this year has been a big, big struggle for me with a few particular issues,” the 24-time major champion said. “I’ve been just trying to find different ways to be at least giving myself a decent condition physically and health-wise to be on the court and compete with the player across the net.”
What he was most insistent about was the explanation he keeps hearing, and rejecting. “People mix it up. It’s not stamina. It’s something else. More related to health,” he said. He would go no further on what that something is: “I don’t want to be revealing what it is, but I’m trying to get to the bottom of it with my team.” Asked what he hoped for in the matches to come, he closed the subject with four words: “That’s all I can say.”
It’s not fun when you’re feeling like that on the court, because then I’m investing my emotional, mental energy, and physical of course.
He was more forthcoming about the toll. “It’s not fun when you’re feeling like that on the court, because then I’m investing my emotional, mental energy, and physical of course, more on the issues that I’m having rather than thinking about the game,” he said.
That is a precise description of a season that has come apart in its second half, through fatigue, illness and a run of physical problems involving his back, his shoulder and, in Shanghai last year, on-court vomiting. The low point came at the US Open, where he lost a five-set first-round match to Mariano Navone, his first opening-round defeat at a major in 20 years.
Friday offered a rare hour of relief, which he treated as news in itself. “Towards the end of the second and all third set, I felt fresher than I have in the beginning of the match,” he said. “The third set today was really enjoyable from that perspective. Finally I get to play tennis without really thinking about all the other things happening.”
The contrast with his own words four days earlier is stark. Asked about his body at his pre-tournament press conference on September 28, he had said: “Feeling good so far. Let’s see. Obviously it’s completely different when you’re playing an official match comparing to the practice sets or practice sessions. But so far so good. Overall it’s been really good so far with the body, the way I’m feeling and playing.”
“Shanghai, I still don’t know”
None of it has changed his intention to keep playing. “At the moment I’m also not really qualified yet for the race, for the Turin. I mean, this year I would like to play if I qualify. I’m planning also to play Paris Bercy,” he said. “Shanghai, I still don’t know. I need to see how I feel here.”
The arithmetic is tight. Djokovic is 11th in the live Race to Turin, 50 points behind Taylor Fritz in tenth and 79 behind Rafael Jodar in ninth, with Daniil Medvedev eighth on 3,070 points.
Extrait
Novak Djokovic beat Bu Yunchaokete 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 in Beijing with his second medical timeout in two matches, then rejected the explanation that has followed him all season: “It’s not stamina. It’s something else. More related to health.” He will not say what it is, and plans to play Paris and, if he qualifies, Turin.
