De Minaur retires injured, handing China Open title to Djokovic

Alex de Minaur retires injured, handing China Open title to Novak Djokovic Alex de Minaur has been left shattered by having to pull out injured from a thrilling China Open final duel with Novak Djokovic in Beijing after both men needed medical treatment. Djokovic had just won a marathon first set in a tie break after 67 minutes in Tuesday's showdown when calling for the trainer for more treatment on his ongoing physical struggles. But after he'd been treated on court, there was more surprise immediately afterwards as Australian No.1 de Minaur also required an off-court medical timeout for what appeared to be a groin injury. De Minaur returned, his left thigh heavily strapped, only to play an excellent first game to hold serve in the second set but then glumly approached the net to shake hands with his Serbian opponent, explaining that he couldn't carry on. It was a sad end to what had been a brilliant, lung-busting contest, with the amazing 39-year-old Djokovic claiming victory at 7-6 (7-3) 0-1 to claim the 102nd title of his career. "I don't feel great ... I want to say sorry to all the amazing fans," said De Minaur at the trophy presentation. "I didn't want to finish like this... hopefully see you next year," added the 27-year-old fifth seed. An exhausted Djokovic also needed treatment during the break and was surprised when De Minaur signalled the end of the match. "I'm really sorry for the way you had to finish today and I really hope that you can recover quickly," Djokovic told De Minaur. "This year has been quite challenging for me, lots of ups and downs, physical and health issues," he added. "So I just tried to find a good feeling on the court, and obviously I know that when I'm striking the ball well I can still compete at the highest level." AAP/Reuters