Novak Djokovic entered his first professional match in Greece fully alert, knowing his opponent was Alejandro Tabilo — the Chilean who had defeated him in their two previous encounters, both on clay: in the second round of the 2024 Rome Masters 1000 (6-2, 6-3) and in the third round of this season’s Monte Carlo Masters 1000 (6-3, 6-4).
On indoor hard court, the Serbian once again experienced Tabilo’s toughness, though this time the Chilean only managed to sustain his high level through the opening set.
That first set required a tiebreak and lasted 70 minutes before Djokovic prevailed 7-6 (3).
Riding that momentum, Nole cruised through the second set in just half an hour to advance to the quarterfinals of the ATP indoor hard-court tournament in Athens, winning 7-6 (3), 6-1 in a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes.
The former world No. 1, now ranked fifth, served impressively — firing 13 aces and saving the only break point he faced during the match.
Djokovic has recently relocated to Greece with his family and, at the same time, moved the tournament he owns from the Serbian capital of Belgrade to the Greek capital of Athens.
The city, absent from the ATP calendar since 1994, thus regains its place on the circuit after a 31-year hiatus.