ATP Athens: Djokovic Secures First Victory Over Tabillo, Advances Smoothly to Quarterfinals

On November 4th local time, the 2025 ATP 250 Athens tournament held its men’s singles second round. Serbian star Djokovic, now residing in Greece, made his debut at this event and defeated Chilean player Tabillo 7-6(3), 6-1 in 1 hour and 39 minutes to comfortably reach the quarterfinals.

Djokovic

In their previous two encounters, Tabillo had won both matches, but only Federer has managed a three-match winning streak against Djokovic early in his career. In this match, neither player lost their service game in the first set. After a 68-minute battle, Djokovic clinched the set 7-6(3) by winning the tiebreak. Djokovic dominated the second set, delivering 13 aces and 27 winners overall, closing out the match with a 6-1 second set to secure the victory.

In the post-match interview, Djokovic said, “I’m very excited to advance tonight. My opponent, Tabillo, is someone I had never beaten before; he had won both of our previous matches on clay, so I was more nervous and under more pressure than usual before this match. I drew strength and support from the crowd, and I want to thank everyone for that.”

“Playing in Athens feels like being at home. When I arrived here with my family a few months ago, I was very thrilled because I have always loved Greece. Undoubtedly, all of Serbia loves Greece as well, and there are many connections between our two countries. I truly felt the warm hospitality of the Greek people, and the experience was amazing. More than recognition for my tennis achievements, what touched me most was the sincere and heartfelt way people treated me. Athens has definitely left a deep impression on my heart.”

Regarding recent remarks by Italian Tennis Federation President Binaghi, who publicly confirmed his participation in this season’s Turin ATP Finals, Djokovic responded after the match: “I don’t know where he got that information, but it certainly wasn’t from me or my team. I will make my decision after this tournament concludes.”

Second seed Musetti will play his second-round match tomorrow early morning Beijing time against Swiss veteran Wawrinka. Currently ranked No. 9 in the race to the year-end championships, Musetti must win this tournament to surpass Aliassime at the last moment and secure a spot at the ATP Finals. Therefore, Djokovic’s participation will also impact the final lineup of the season-ending championship’s top eight players.

Complete Schedule for November 5th

(Text and Editing: Dato; Photos: Visual China)