World No. 1 Novak Djokovic vowed here Saturday to defend his top spot as he seeks to win his fourth China Open title.
The 26-year-old Serb, the winner of the China Open in 2009, 2010 and 2012, recently became the ninth player to hold the world No. 1 ranking for at least 100 weeks, Xinhua reported.
"It means a lot because it's a result that comes from hard, hard work that we put in all these years. I owe a great gratitude to my team, my family, all the friends and people who are close to me in my life," Djokovic told a press conference.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal, who has had 22 straight hardcourt wins this season, arrived in the Chinese capital Saturday. The Spaniard would replace Djokovic as the world No. one if he reaches the final here.
"With no doubt he has the best result this year, this year he's been the best player in the world," said Djokovic.
"I want to focus on this week's China Open because this is where I traditionally play well, and I would like to have another successful week." he added.
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Djokovic won all 14 games in his previous China Open campaigns, but went down 4-3 to Chinese star Li Na in an inter-gender charity match.
"It was an enjoyable experience, also a unique opportunity to play in front of a full stadium with a national hero," Djokovic said.
"She enjoyed it, we had a lot of laughs. That was the most important thing from last night's event."