Alex de Minaur sits courtside after retiring from the men's singles final against Novak Djokovic at the China Open. (EPA Images pic)

SHANGHAI: World No 9 Alex de Minaur said he intends to head to Shanghai for scans after suffering an adductor injury that forced him to retire from the China Open final in Beijing on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old Australian was engaged in a tight battle with Novak Djokovic when he suffered the injury and retired while trailing 7-6(3), 0-1 in the second set, handing the Serbian great a seventh title in the Chinese capital.

"I was feeling quite good, then I felt something midway through the end of the first set. Yeah, it gradually got a little worse," De Minaur told reporters.