World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, legendary Novak Djokovic set to return to China Open

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, legendary Novak Djokovic set to return to China Open

The landmark 25th edition of the China Open will produce one of the strongest fields in tournament history. World No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner leads this year's entry list for the prestigious ATP 500 tournament, where seven of the ATP's Top 10 are set to battle it out in Beijing.

Sinner has been the singular dominant force on the ATP Tour this season. The 25-year-old Italian swept the first five ATP Masters 1000 tournaments of the year to become the youngest man to complete the Career Golden Masters and win all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. In July, he won Wimbledon to add a fifth Grand Slam title to his growing ledger.

China Open will be Sinner's first tournament since his Wimbledon triumph. He has made the China Open final in all three appearances, lifting the trophy in 2023 and 2025.

Six-time China Open champion Novak Djokovic is set to play Beijing for the first time in 11 years. Incredibly, the 39-year-old former No. 1 and 24-time Grand Slam champion has never lost a match at the China Open. A winner of 101 ATP Tour titles, Djokovic cemented himself as China Open's greatest champion by building a sparkling 29-0 record and winning the title in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.

World No. 2 and reigning Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev will also return to Beijing, where he is a three-time semifinalist. The 29-year-old German captured his first Grand Slam title in June, where he defeated Italy's Flavio Cobolli in Paris. Cobolli, whose career-best year has rocketed him up to World No. 6, will also return to Beijing for a third consecutive year.

World No. 8 Daniil Medvedev makes it four Grand Slam champions on the initial entry list. No. 3 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada and No. 7 Alex De Minaur of Australia round out the strong Top 10 entries. Also in the field are fan favorites Andrey Rublev, Alexander Bublik, Jakub Mensik, Cameron Norrie, and Hubert Hurkacz.

The initial entry list includes 23 direct acceptances, with No. 56 Tallon Griekspoor of The Netherlands as the final entrant. Four qualifying spots will be awarded through a two-round qualifying event and four main-draw wildcards will be awarded at a later date. Main-draw play will begin on September 30.

Founded in 2004, the China Open is Asia's largest and most prestigious tennis event, hosting the world's best on the ATP and WTA Tours for the largest prize purse in Asia. The women's event is a WTA 1000, a top-tier mandatory tournament for the WTA Tour.