Djokovic reached the quarterfinals in 25 countries

The number one seed in Athens showed his bravery to prevent Tabilo from becoming the second person (after Roger Federer) to win three consecutive matches in his first meetings against Djokovic.

"It feels like home, playing in Athens ", Djokovic, who recently moved to Greece, said after the match on November 4. "A few months before coming with my family, I was very excited because I have always loved this country. We Serbs love Greece very much, from history, culture to religion, we have many similarities. Athens is always in my heart ".

Djokovic brought the ATP 250 Belgrade Open tournament from his home country to Greece from this year. This event moved to the OAKA multi-purpose arena in Athens, and was renamed the Hellenic Championship. This is a consequence of the disagreement between Nole and the Serbian government, regarding a number of policies and upcoming bills.

In the exciting atmosphere at the ATP 250 indoor tournament in Greece, Djokovic was patient and precise in the first set tie-break, before completely controlling the match in the second set. At the age of 38, he reached the ATP quarterfinals for the 225th time in his career, in 25 different countries.

After losing twice to Tabilo on clay (in Rome 2024 and Monte-Carlo 2025), Djokovic successfully "collected his debt" in his first meeting on hard courts. The former world number one also extended his unbeaten record of 28 matches during the season by winning the first set, and at the same time dispelled concerns about his fitness at the end of the year.

"Confronting Tabilo, who I have never won before, made me quite nervous. I had to really try to get energy from the audience today, " Djokovic said after the match.

Facing many speculations about his withdrawal, Djokovic confirmed his participation in the ATP Finals - a tournament for eight players. best of 2025. The final event of the year of the ATP Tour is jointly organized by ATP and the Italian Tennis Federation (FITP). In an interview with Rai Gr Parlamento radio channel, FITP president Angelo Binaghi revealed: "We have received confirmation from Djokovic. He will go to Turin ".

Last year, injury and decreased motivation were said to be the reasons why Nole withdrew from this event. This year, the ATP Finals kicks off on November 9, gathering the eight best players of the year. Djokovic currently holds the tournament championship record with seven cups. The last time the Serbian tennis player was crowned was in 2023, after defeating Jannik Sinner in the final.

Dovick's participation in the ATP Finals left the event with only one vacant spot. The competition for the final ticket in the tournament is between number eight Felix Auger-Aliassime and number seven Lorenzo Musetti. With Auger-Aliassime deciding to withdraw from the Moselle Open, Musetti took charge. If he wins the ATP 250 tournament in Athens, the Italian player will go to the ATP Finals.

In addition to the names mentioned above, six faces will be present at the ATP Finals: Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur. The defending champion of the tournament is Sinner thanks to his victory over Fritz in the 2024 season.