Xinhua Rarely Reports: Djokovic Didn’t Lose, French Powerhouse Self-Withdraws, Power Duo Secures Tenth Win

Three minutes daily to catch up on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Tuesday, February 3, 2026. Welcome to the Tennis Home News Midday Report.

In the 2026 Australian Open men’s singles final, ten-time champion Djokovic lost after leading by one set to Spanish star Alcaraz, missing out on his 25th Grand Slam crown. After the match, major tennis media outlets covered the event extensively with in-depth analyses, making it the hottest topic in the tennis world. Early this morning Beijing time, Xinhua published an article by reporter Wang Chunyan on its official account, paying tribute to Serbian tennis king Djokovic with the headline: “Djokovic Didn’t Lose!”

The article highly praised the 38 years and 9 months old Djokovic for his resilience and fighting spirit on court, concluding with the words, “Time never stops for anyone, but Djokovic chooses to challenge the years, writing a story of passion and perseverance through a hard-fought loss!”

Research shows that it is very rare for Xinhua to publish a dedicated article on Djokovic on its official account. Even when Djokovic won gold at the Paris Olympics, only a general news piece was issued. The last dedicated article was six years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Djokovic expressed gratitude to China for helping his homeland Serbia, titled “wǒ aì nǐ zhōng guó.” This indicates the Chinese central media highly appreciate Djokovic’s fighting spirit displayed at this Australian Open.

However, many fans were puzzled by why Xinhua uses “Jiaokeweiqi” instead of “Djokovic” in Chinese. This issue has existed for a long time; when Djokovic’s name first appeared in Chinese official media, there were two translations: “Djokovic” and “Jiaokeweiqi.” The former is more widely accepted and used, but Xinhua has consistently used “Jiaokeweiqi” since the beginning and refuses to follow the mainstream. Similar cases include “Kyrgios” → “Jiliao,” “Hurkacz” → “Hekaci,” and “Murray” → “Moli.” In fact, foreign player name transliterations depend on how widely they are spread and how naturally they sound to the audience.

Back to the court. Last night Beijing time, the ATP250 tournament in Montpellier, France, began. On the first day, Spanish veteran Agut overturned Australian O’Connell 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 for a winning start; local player Mannarino defeated Spaniard Martinez 7-6(3), 6-1 to advance; meanwhile, home favorite Pericard injured his eye after a volley error and had to retire midway due to the severity of the injury.

WTA500 Abu Dhabi: In the singles first round, 7th seed Ostapenko saved two match points and edged qualifier Selekhmetiva 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-2 to advance dramatically; Australian rising star Jonty was eliminated by Indonesia’s top player Zeng Limei 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-3; other winners advancing include Qatar, Belek, Woltert, Sasnovich, Iera, and Yastremska.

WTA250 Cluj-Napoca: Top seed and Britain’s leading player Raducanu showed strong form, defeating Belgian Minnen 6-0, 6-4 to advance confidently. Wildcard entrant Czech star Ka-Pliskova was upset by Russian Zakharova 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, exiting in the first round. Yuvan, Hvalinska, Danilovic, Zdansek, and Kostya also won their matches to move on.

In the doubles first round, China’s power duo Wang Xinyu and Zheng Saisai came back from a set down to win 6-7, 6-4, 10-8 in a thrilling match tiebreak and advanced. Meanwhile, Tang Qianhui and Yuan Yue lost 4-6, 3-6 to Christian and Ruse, bowing out in their debut.

In the WTA250 Ostrava singles first round, Pax, Flavertova, Parry, Ferro, Batukova, and Kolpakch all won their matches to reach the second round.

Finally, a guessing game. The image below shows a player covering her head with a towel during a timeout. Without any hints, can you identify who she is?

Last time’s guess was correct. Yes, the person in the picture is the newly crowned Australian Open women’s singles champion, Leylah Fernandez.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Independent Spirit)