Serbian Novak Djokovic scored; Ranked 11th in the world, on Tuesday, in Beijing, for the 102nd title of his career, after his Australian competitor, Alex de Minaur, withdrew. 9, in the final match at the beginning of the second group.
The owner of the 24 titles in the four major tournaments has not won any title since the “Athens Tournament (250 points)” in November 2025. Djokovic is now one title away from the Swiss Roger Federer’s tally of 103 titles, and 6 titles away from the record of the American Jimmy Connors (109), and he also won his 7th title in “Beijing” with his 7th participation in the tournament.
The Serbian qualified for the final match on Monday, after Russian Daniil Medvedev was excluded in the second group, after a spectator was hit by a ball he hit with his racket. The Serbian won; The 39-year-old played in Tuesday's match in the first group with a 7-6 (7-3) tiebreak, and he was a game behind in the second when the Australian ended the match by withdrawing.
Djokovic said: “I always make sure to imagine myself holding the cup, especially here in (Beijing). But I was also fully aware that reality is a little different these days,” he said, adding that he had had a difficult year due to “physical and health problems.” He continued: “I was just trying to get back the good feeling on the field.” The first group witnessed a physical battle that lasted more than an hour, and the two players needed two periods of treatment before the start of the second.
De Minaur won the first half of the second set before withdrawing, while the reason for his withdrawal was not immediately clear.
With this victory, Djokovic increased his perfect record in Beijing to 34 victories in 34 matches, achieving his seventh title in the Chinese capital, and his first there since 2015.
"I don't feel well," De Minaur told the fans after the match. The player added; The 27-year-old: “I want to apologize to the wonderful fans who came to watch the match... I did not want it to end this way.”
De Minaur qualified for the final after his Polish competitor, Hubert Hurkacz, withdrew from their semi-final match on Monday. Due to injury.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino faces new questions regarding a disciplinary matter linked to the World Cup, this time involving the Democratic Republic of Congo's goalkeeper.
The New York Times and Le Monde newspapers reported that FIFA lawyers learned last March that Lionel Mbasi was suspected of not being eligible to represent the Democratic Republic of the Congo national team, and they made recommendations regarding a set of sanctions that could have been imposed, including excluding the Democratic Republic of Congo from the World Cup qualifier against Jamaica, later that month, and suspending Mbassi.
But the two newspapers reported that no action was taken, and that Mbasi continued to play with the Democratic Republic of the Congo national team, and participated with them in the World Cup finals in North America.
The British news agency, PA Media, reported that these reports increase the pressure on Infantino, after the Folarin Balogun case, as well as the way the Swiss dealt with a plan for private investment in a commercial entity that manages FIFA tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups.
American striker Balogun was suspended for one match due to receiving a red card, which was suspended by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, allowing him to participate in the round of 16 match against Belgium.
US President Donald Trump later admitted that he had personally contacted Infantino to review the punishment, which raised concerns about political interference in FIFA affairs.
In that case, FIFA denied any interference on the part of Infantino, and confirmed that the Disciplinary Committee enjoyed complete independence. FIFA was contacted to comment on the reports related to the issue of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), of which Jamaica is a member and was a rival to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the global playoff, said: “Concacaf takes matters of player eligibility very seriously and expects that applicable regulations and procedures will be applied consistently and fairly in all competitions.”
He added: “Any concerns regarding the eligibility of players, especially those that may affect the integrity of one of the competitions or the interests of one of our member associations, should be reviewed comprehensively and addressed through the relevant governance and disciplinary bodies in FIFA, in accordance with applicable regulations and due legal procedures.”
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has also been contacted for comment.
The Norwegian Football Association had also filed complaints with the FIFA Ethics Committee and the Federation’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee regarding the Balogun case, the private investor plan, and the awarding of the FIFA Peace Prize last year to President Trump.
Finnish Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas decided to move by bike from the Malaysian Sepang Circuit to Singapore during the week between the two Grand Prix races. The 37-year-old Cadillac driver headed to the next Formula 1 stop in Singapore, after failing to complete the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was held in Malaysia, last Sunday.
As other teams and drivers prepared to fly from Malaysia to Singapore for this week's race, Bottas embarked on a bike ride of more than 320 kilometres. He wrote on the “X” social networking site, confirming his trip: “Yes, I am cycling to Singapore... on the gravel roads less traveled.” Bottas did not score any points in the World Championship this season with the Cadillac team, while his best position was thirteenth in the Chinese Grand Prix last March.
Bottas was unable to finish last week's race, explaining that he left the track after betting on using smooth tires in wet conditions, making this the eighth race this season that he was unable to finish.
Bottas has been participating in the Formula 1 World Championship since 2013, and during his career he achieved 10 victories and 67 podium finishes.
Last week, Max Verstappen ended a long wait for another victory in Formula 1 races, after winning the Sepang race title. The Bahrain race was moved to Malaysia due to the Iran war, making the Sepang track witness the first Formula 1 race since 2017.
