Can Tabilo Conclude His Injury-Plagued Season with a Third Victory over Djokovic?
Chilean athlete speaks exclusively to ATPTour.com ahead of his matchup with Djokovic in Athens.
November 03, 2025
Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour
Alejandro Tabilo has made a remarkable return to form following a season of injury setbacks.
By Andrew Eichenholz
On Tuesday night, Alejandro Tabilo faces Novak Djokovic in an intriguing showdown at the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Hellenic Championship. Although Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, is the heavy favorite as the No. 1 seed, Tabilo, currently ranked No. 89 in the PIF ATP Rankings, has a unique distinction: he’s one of only three players to have faced Djokovic at least twice and emerged victorious in both encounters—alongside legends Marat Safin and Jiri Vesely.
As the former World No. 1 looks to break this trend, Tabilo is eager for the challenge ahead.
“I’m just thrilled to have secured wins like that previously. This match will be different with the surface being hard,” Tabilo shared with ATPTour.com. “I’m aiming to put on a great performance and continue that momentum. It’s quite surreal to have a 2-0 record against Djokovic.”
What many fans might not realize is that his second victory over Djokovic at this year’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters was far more challenging than the 6-3, 6-4 score might suggest.
To fully grasp the circumstances, we must rewind to the Miami Open presented by Itau in March, where Tabilo began experiencing pain in his left wrist, prompting him to start using tape for support. The lefty typically pushes through discomfort.
However, following his triumph over Djokovic in Monte-Carlo, Tabilo faced Grigor Dimitrov in a grueling three-set match, after which the pain in his wrist escalated, leading him to seek medical attention.
“I underwent an MRI, and it revealed I was close to having a stress fracture,” Tabilo disclosed. “So that win against Djokovic was really significant.”
That wasn’t the only injury he wrestled with this season. After competing at Roland Garros, Tabilo suffered a five-centimeter tear in his abdomen, followed by an ankle twist at Winston-Salem.
“My inclination has always been to tough it out, keeping my pain to myself. From a young age, I’ve just wanted to play, which has conditioned me to tolerate discomfort. Unless it’s excruciating, I don’t think much of it. A few years back at Roland Garros, I trained with appendicitis, initially mistaking it for just a stomachache—this escalated to peritonitis. Knowing when to stop is a constant battle,” Tabilo reflected.
After dropping to No. 126 in August, Tabilo has rebounded with impressive performances. The 28-year-old reached the ATP Challenger Tour final in Guangzhou (Huangpu) and went on to secure the ATP 250 title in Chengdu as a qualifier. In that tournament, he battled through a tense final-set tie-break in qualifying against Lloyd Harris and triumphed again in a final-set tie-break against Lorenzo Musetti.
“I’m genuinely pleased with the matches I’ve been able to win. It’s been a challenging year filled with injuries, making it tough to find my rhythm,” Tabilo remarked. “Slowly, I feel like I’m finding my groove, even if it’s late in the season. I hope to leverage this momentum into a solid pre-season and carry it into 2026.”
Aiming for a high note to finish the year, Tabilo hopes for a third victory against Djokovic. What’s the secret behind his success against the Serbian legend?
“I’m not quite sure. I think I’m still trying to figure that out,” Tabilo admitted. “But perhaps subconsciously, having watched him play on TV since childhood, I’ve learned how to approach him. When I step onto the court, I feel free to play my game without any pressure, knowing I have nothing to lose.”
