Novak Djokovic has returned to winning ways on the ATP Tour after beating Alejandro Tabilo in his Hellenic Championship opener.
Djokovic loved the Athens crowd as he beat Tabilo 7-6(7-3), 6-1 in their round of 16 match, after he received a bye in round one.
The Serbian star is the top seed at the ATP 250 tournament in the Greek capital, which is owned by the family of Djokovic.
He has now set up a quarterfinal tie with Nuno Borges, having overcome Tabilo for the first time in three attempts.
Novak Djokovic produces one staggering statistic against Alejandro Tabilo
Djokovic particularly shone in one key area, remarkably losing only three points on his serve in the entire match.
Moreover, he fired down 13 aces to zero double faults, and hit 27 winners to 21 unforced errors, all against an opponent he had never beaten before.
It was a truly staggering service display from the veteran, who at 38 isn’t showing any signs of slowing down in that specific area.
Djokovic earned a service rating of 320 from the ATP Tour for his display, in which he won 34/37 (92%) of his first serve points.
Of course, impressing in this area is nothing new for the former world number one, who currently ranks fifth on the ATP serve leaders list for 2025.
| Novak Djokovic | Alejandro Tabilo | |
| 320 | Serve rating | 268 |
| 13 | Aces | 4 |
| 0 | Double faults | 1 |
| 37/59 (63%) | First serve | 47/62 (76%) |
| 34/37 (92%) | 1st serve points won | 28/47 (60%) |
| 13/22 (59%) | 2nd serve points won | 8/15 (53%) |
| 1/1 (100%) | Break points saved | 3/5 (60%) |
| 10 | Service games played | 9 |
READ MORE: Novak Djokovic confirms the real reason why he has not retired from tennis yet
Why Novak Djokovic should skip the ATP Finals despite qualifying
Djokovic is currently focusing on a lengthy run at the Hellenic Championship, but he may have one eye on the ATP Finals.
The veteran is one of seven players to have already qualified for the year-end event, which returns to Turin later this month.
But Djokovic, who decided to skip the tournament last year, could make the same decision this time around.
And that would neither be a surprise nor a poor move from the legend, who is set to decide upon a potential appearance after the Hellenic Championship.
He already boasts a record seven ATP Finals titles, and so clearly has nothing to prove at that competition at this stage of his career.
Moreover, he’s had his fair share of injury troubles in recent times, and another tournament may just push him over the limit after another very busy and demanding season.
Finally, Djokovic has clearly shown he wants to prioritise further Grand Slam success, meaning his focus should turn to rest and recovery before training for the 2026 Australian Open.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
