De Minaur heads to Shanghai for scans after Beijing retirement

SHANGHAI: World No 9 Alex de Minaur announced his intention to travel to Shanghai for scans following the retirement from the China Open men's singles final due to an adductor injury. The 27-year-old Australian was closely matched against Novak Djokovic when he suffered the injury, forcing him to withdraw while trailing 7-6(3), 0-1 in the second set and allowing Djokovic to secure his seventh title in Beijing.

De Minaur described feeling fine initially but the pain gradually intensified in the latter stages of the match. After the tournament, he expressed his desire to undergo further scans in Shanghai. De Minaur had previously withdrawn from a Wimbledon quarter-final against Djokovic in 2024 due to a hip injury and missed the singles tournament at the Paris Olympics.

He had returned at the US Open seven weeks later and was scheduled to play at the Shanghai Masters this season, where he reached the quarter-finals the previous year. If healthy, the Australian number one still has a chance to make the eight-strong field for the ATP Finals, following Jannik Sinner's announcement of his retirement from tennis for the year.

De Minaur praised his performance in Beijing, stating that everything except for the end was positive, with some great tennis and feeling fantastic on the court.