Having rediscovered his best form in China after a testing major season, Alex de Minaur’s hopes of qualifying for the ATP Tour Finals for the third straight year have been dealt a cruel blow.
The Australian star looked gutted after a groin injury forced him to withdraw from his final against Novak Djokovic in the infancy of the second set of what had been a high-class decider.
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De Minaur looked bereft as he looked towards a coaching box that included Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt and co-coach Matt Reid as his hopes of clinching a second title this season ended prematurely.
The Australian tested Djokovic, who has never been beaten in Beijing in a winning streak that has seen him win the tournament seven times, and had his chances before dropping the first set in a tiebreaker.
But even though he was able to hold his opening service game in the second set, it was evident that he was hindered with his movement.
After falling in the second round of the US Open, the 27-year-old regained winning form when representing Australia in a Davis Cup tie in Brisbane and carried that into the Laver Cup, where he edged Alexander Zverev, a winner of two majors this year.
His run to the final in Beijing shored up his Top 10 ranking and pushed him firmly into calculations for the season-ending championships in Turin, where he was a semi-finalist last year.
He sits in 10th position in the race but with Jannik Sinner, who has won the past two editions of the elite eight man tournament, calling an end to his season because of a knee injury, de Minaur is now only one match out.
But groin problems are difficult to shake and given de Minaur was challenging the 24-time major winner in Beijing, withdrawing is an acknowledgment that it is a clear concern.
“I don’t feel great,” he said in the trophy ceremony.
“Look, first of all, congrats to you Novak, mate, to you and your team. It was pretty amazing, as a fan of the sport, to watch the tennis you produced this whole week. Wishing you nothing but the best, so well done.
“As for me, I want to say sorry to all the amazing fans that came to watch this match. I wish I could have… I didn’t want to finish like this, so really, really sorry. To my team, the people that are here and the people that are back home, thank you for all the support. It’s been a great week and I’m sure there’s plenty more to come.”
The Aussie, who peaked at No.5 earlier this year, is due to contest the Shanghai Masters which is already underway, with the tournament carrying lucrative points.
There is only one more Masters tier left after Shanghai, with that held indoors in Paris later this month, but if de Minaur is unable to play in Shanghai, his hopes of making the elite eight for the third straight year will be far more challenging.