Serbian wins 101st career singles trophy at Athens.
38-year-old Novak Djokovic proved that age is just a number yet again, as he produced a come-from-behind win over Lorenzo Musetti in the ATP Hellenic Championship 2025 on Saturday. The World No. 9 Italian was hunting down the final spot in the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, but failed to get over the line against an inspired Djokovic. The Serbian icon lifted his 101st career singles trophy in the process.
It was a contest filled with shifts in momentum and high quality tennis. After losing his serve on multiple occasions whilst being on the brink of glory, Djokovic finally attained his 72nd hard court championship at Athens. Despite five breaks of serve in the decider and a fighting effort from Musetti in his quest for a Turin qualification, the 24-time Grand Slam champion reigned supreme in just under three hours.
Having entered as the top seed, Djokovic’s win means that Canadian sensation Felix Auger-Aliassime will enter his second season-ending championships. It is Nole’s second trophy of the 2025 campaign – a season wherein he reached the semis at all four majors and also finished as the runner-up at the Miami Masters. But with Djokovic still unsure about his participation at the Nitto ATP Finals, Musetti remains in contention.
Musetti landed the first blow in the final, as he grabbed the opener 6-4. While he was landing a high percentage of line-cutting serves, Djokovic seemingly failed to find his footing. In the second set however, the World No. 5 was more patient in his attacks, and picked his moments to land the knockout blow. He pushed forward to the net when required, and took time away from Musetti.
Having saved a match point en route to a thrilling semifinal win over Sebastian Korda, the Paris Olympics bronze medalist would have to repeat his heroics against Djokovic to lift the crown. In the deciding set, a grand total of 13 break points were exchanged – culminating in the Serbian legend banging down an ace to complete the formalities. Dropping his racquet and falling flat before tearing his t-shirt apart, Djokovic proved what the victory meant to him.
“[It was] an incredible battle,” Djokovic said after the win. “Three hours of a grueling match physically. It could have been anybody’s match, so congrats to Lorenzo for an amazing performance. I’m just very proud of myself for getting through this one.” On the other hand Musetti, whose head-to-head against Djokovic is now 1-9, also thanked him for another learning lesson on court.
Following his success, Djokovic announced that he will not take part in the Nitto ATP Finals 2025. As a result, Musetti will feature in Turin as a replacement.
(Image Credits: Mike Frey, Imagn Images)
