Novak Djokovic could have retired by now. He needs to prove nothing else to anyone. He has won 24 Grand Slam titles, the most ever, and many more Masters 1000 titles than any other player. He is arguably the best player ever, and he would have been that if he hadn't played past 2023.
Now he finds other things to play with when he chooses to play. He focuses more on majors, but he had a reason for trying to win the Hellenic Championship in Athens, Greece. That is now his home country, as he no longer resides in Serbia. The move was emotional, but necessary.
In other words, Djokovic was attempting to win in front of his new home fans and at the first edition of the tournament. Before 2025, the event had been known as the Belgrade Open, which was hosted in Serbia. There was more meaning for the greatest player ever than might have been otherwise.
Novak Djokovic fends off Lorenzo Musetti to win the first Hellenic Championship
The victory was far from easy for Novak Djokovic, however. He was facing an ascending Lorenzo Musetti, who needed a win to make the ATP Finals. The Italian has had arguably the best year of his career, though he doesn't have the titles to show for it. He has still been able to reach as high as No. 6 on the tour.
Musetti got a break in the first set, playing electric tennis that stunned Djokovic. The 38-year-old watched as the Italian lobbed brilliantly over him, crushed backhand winners, and got to balls that Djokovic didn't think Musetti could get to. The Italian took the opening set 6-4.
In the second set, Djokovic was able to earn a break on a point that probably reminded many of his younger form. His hit at elite angles, and just when a backhand by Musetti was about to pass him, Djokovic dove, struck the ball, and it floated into the open court for a winner. The second set went to the top seed, 6-3.
Djokovic jumped out to a lead in the third set, too, and simply needed to hold to take the title. But serving at 3-2, he was broken by some dazzling play from Musetti. Not to be outdone, Djokovic got the break right back to lead 4-3 with the serve.
But then, Musetti got another break, and the match was suddenly 5-all with Musetti serving. As neither player had been able to hold serve consistently in the final set, however, Djokovic broke back to lead 6-5 on serve. He made the final game easy and won his 101st career title 4-6 6-3 7-5. His new home country crowd was firmly behind him and quite happy with the ending.