The China Open has announced that 2005 champion Rafael Nadal, six-time champion Novak Djokovic, and two-time major winner Andy Murray have all been confirmed for the ATP 500 in Beijing. With three of the top four already confirmed, the player field, which comes out in a few months, is set to be one of the Chinese capital's finest.
Nadal seeking a second Beijing title
In his first appearance in Beijing as a 19-year-old, Nadal claimed his first and only China Open title, defeating Argentine Guillermo Coria in the final. In 2008 the Spaniard returned to the Chinese capital for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he took home a gold medal after defeating Chilean Fernando Gonzales in the final. The 14-time Grand Slam winner went back to Beijing in 2009, falling in the quarterfinals to Marin Cilic.
Nadal returned to Beijing in 2013, making the final before falling in straight sets to Novak Djokovic. In 2014 the nine-time Roland Garros winner fell in the last eight to Slovak Martin Klizan, before making another final in 2015 only to fall to Djokovic again.
Djokovic going for a record seventh title
Djokovic first played in Beijing in 2009, taking his first title with a straight sets win over Marin Cilic in the final. The Serb returned the following year defending his title with a straight sets win over David Ferrer in the final.
The 11-time Grand Slam champion returned to Beijing in 2012, claiming a third title with a win over Frenchmen Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The six-time Aussie Open winner defended his title over Rafael Nadal in 2013 following it up with wins over Berdych and Nadal again in 2014 and 2015. Djokovic is currently undefeated in Beijing and holds an incredible 29-match winning streak.