The victory, his 102nd ATP tour-level crown, moves him one behind Roger Federer on the all-time Open Era list.
A tiebreak won, then a handshake
De Minaur was the aggressor early, striking 11 winners to Djokovic's three in the opening set. He saved two break points with bold baseline hitting and almost broke in the fifth game, only for Djokovic to respond with a full-stretch backhand down the line.
The Australian's error count rose in the tiebreak, handing Djokovic the set. De Minaur left the court for a medical timeout with a heavy bandage visible on his left thigh. Djokovic, who had himself required treatment during the changeover, looked surprised.
A perfect record, far from finished
The win extended Djokovic's career China Open record to 34 wins and zero defeats, with only five sets dropped and 12 top-10 victories. He beat three top-10 players in one event for the first time in three years: U.S. Open champion Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals, and Daniil Medvedev, who was disqualified in the semi-final for striking a spectator with the ball.
The 39-year-old had not played in Beijing for 11 years. "It's been 11 years since I last played here. "But I was also aware that reality is a little bit different these days."
De Minaur, suffering his first retirement since 2017, apologised to the crowd for the abrupt finish. Djokovic now stands one title behind Federer's 103 and seven short of Jimmy Connors' record 109. A tournament he entered without a final appearance since the Australian Open ended with him holding the trophy once more.
