Athens Champion: Novak Djokovic wins family title as Lorenzo Musetti loses hopes of ATP Finals spot

Novak Djokovic claimed the 101st title of his career after defeating Lorenzo Musetti in a three-set battle, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. The 24-time Grand Slam champion won the inaugural edition of the Hellenic Championship—a tournament owned by his family that recently moved from Belgrade to Athens, Nole's new city of residence.

The Serb was practically a local among the Greek public, who closely watched Djokovic secure his second title of the season and his fourth victory against a Top-10 player in 2025.

On the other side, Musetti was playing for his last chance to qualify for the ATP Finals, but he fell short by just one win, losing his third final of the season. The Italian's last-minute elimination means Felix Auger-Aliassime officially becomes the 8th player qualified for Turin for the Finals starting next week—pending confirmation on whether Djokovic will decide to travel to Italy.

The start of the match saw Djokovic looking somewhat vulnerable in the first set, dropping his serve in the third game after facing three break points. Musetti even came close to securing a double break in the 5th game, but Nole managed to hold on to avoid a greater disadvantage.

There was no room for further service issues from either player. Musetti dominated with 75% of service points won in his favor, compared to 61% for Djokovic, who failed to earn even one break point throughout the set. The Italian secured the 6-4 advantage, standing just one set away from his first title since 2022 and breaking a streak of 5 consecutive final losses—as well as qualifying for his first ATP Finals.

In the second set, things shifted in Nole's favor, who was impeccable on his serve. He won 92% of points on his first serve and 80% on his second—in a set where he conceded only three service points. The Serb actually won 16 consecutive points on his serve up to 4-3, although Musetti was also keeping pace with the former World No. 1.

Musetti, however, showed signs of doubt toward the end of the set and conceded the first break point of the match, which Nole seized to take a 5-3 lead. Although Djokovic continued to serve without conceding service points, in the 9th game he had to face a 30-40, but managed to overcome the complicated moment to win the set 6-3.

Nole committed fully to the third set and was confident he could push for the title, especially after the tight finish to the second set. His great serving efficiency partially dipped at the start of the third, but Musetti still struggled to truly trouble the Serb.

Djokovic had his opportunities in the third game and took the lead, advancing on his serve to 3-1. However, a final reaction came from Musetti, who capitalized on a few of Nole's second serves, and in a 14-point game, managed to break back and level the score at 3-3.

The joy for the Italian was short-lived. In the very next game, he squandered a 40-0 lead, gave Nole chances, and the Serb ended up breaking back again to take the lead once more.  A few minutes later, Djokovic was serving with the score at 5-4, but showed he is also human, and Musetti recovered from the brink of the abyss, breaking back to level at 5-5.

The match still had one last twist. With the crowd's support, Djokovic immediately answered Musetti with another break—after four opportunities in a tight game where Musetti struggled with his first serve. Djokovic held onto the advantage this time and closed out the victory 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 after three hours. This victory marks 101 titles for Nole, securing his return to World No. 4. This victory marks 101 titles for Nole, securing his return to World No. 4.

Djokovic's victory also meant the end of Musetti's hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals. The Italian paid dearly for his irregular results late in the year—following an injury suffered a few months prior—combined with the notable few months from Felix Auger-Aliassime during the latter part of the year after the US Open.

Considering the Canadian was not competing this week—due to physical precautions—Musetti still had a chance to qualify if he could win the title in Athens. Although he reached the final, it was not enough: Felix qualified for Turin with 3,845 points, while Musetti finished with 3,840—a difference of just 5 points.