Djokovic

The 39-year-old will step back onto the court for a competitive match on Wednesday for the first time since the US Open.

Novak Djokovic says he is encouraged by the way his body has responded before the ⁠China Open as ⁠the 24-time tennis Grand Slam champion looks to regain momentum at a happy hunting ground after recent fitness concerns.

“Yeah, feeling good so far,” Djokovic, a six-time China Open champion, said on Monday.

Djokovic will return to action for the ⁠first time since his shock opening-round defeat by Mariano Navone at the US Open on August 30 when the 39-year-old struggled with shoulder and back problems and ⁠vomited midway through the match.

The world number 11 will look to put those problems behind him when he takes on Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the first round in Beijing this week.

“Obviously it’s completely different when you’re playing an official match compared to practice sets or practice sessions,” he said before his opening game on Wednesday.

“So far so good. I was looking forward to coming to China, as I always have. My record speaks for itself on Chinese soil. Knowing that, it also brings this dimension of confidence that I really need.

“Overall, it’s been really good so far with the body, the way ⁠I’m feeling and playing.”

‘Beijing was on the priority list’

The former world number one is a ⁠massive draw in Beijing, where he won the title in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 and holds a 29-0 win-loss record at the ATP 500 tournament.

The pursuit of a record-extending 25th Grand ⁠Slam title remains one of the few major targets left for Djokovic, who has become increasingly selective about his tournament ⁠schedule in recent years.

“At this stage of my career, it’s really also about the tournaments where I enjoy to play, where I’ve had the success in the past, where I feel like I’m also welcomed by the fans in a positive light, in a ‌positive way,” Djokovic said.

“The history of my results on Chinese soil has been incredible. I haven’t played here in 11 years. I was trying to make it work in ‌the ‌past years with the schedule, but it worked in such a way where I played only Shanghai.

“This year, Beijing was on the priority list.”

NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic grinded through physical and internal ailments, made one mistake after another and could not find what it took to beat a feisty, younger opponent who was not intimidated under the lights against tennis’ most decorated player.

The 39-year-old is out of the U.S. Open after a first-round defeat to Mariano Navone on Sunday night, losing 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a five-set marathon that lasted 4 hours and 36 minutes. It was the longest opening match of a Grand Slam in Djokovic’s career and became his earliest exit in one in two decades, dating to the 2006 Australian Open. He had never lost in the first round at the U.S. Open.

With this defeat, 21 years to the day of his U.S. Open debut, the question now lingers as to whether this was Djokovic’s final match at this or any Grand Slam.

Djokovic made 70 unforced errors in a painful performance that ended mere minutes before midnight.

The record holder with 24 major titles threw up at least once and later appeared to be cramping when he grabbed at his left foot. Djokovic swallowed pills brought to him by a doctor and had his lower back massaged during a medical timeout between the fourth and fifth sets, and he grimaced after several shots.

Throughout his time on court, it was clear Djokovic was not himself, and the wear and tear of sickness and soreness took its toll. The No. 4 seed from Serbia cruised to early 3-0 and 4-1 leads before blowing them and losing the first set — the first time that happened to him in the first round of the U.S. Open since ’06.

With his wife, Jelena, watching from the stands with worried looks on her face, Djokovic had moments where he looked like one of the best to play the sport. His fist pump was reserved after winning the second set, and he put his hand to his ear and gestured to the crowd for applause on the way to taking the third.

But Navone — a 25-year-old from Argentina who earlier this year won his first ATP singles title — did not go away. After firing a shot wide in the fourth set, Djokovic landed awkwardly and dropped his racket.

Djokovic all but conceded the fourth set. But he was unable to muster enough for what would have been his 43rd five-set victory as Navone picked up his first.

Whyno writes for the Associated Press.