Athens
Djokovic Halts Tabilo’s Momentum in Exciting Greek Debut
Former World No. 1 marks his 225th quarter-final appearance in 25 countries.
November 04, 2025
Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour
Novak Djokovic claims his inaugural Lexus ATP Head2Head victory against Alejandro Tabilo on Tuesday in Athens (1-2).
By Jerome Coombe
In his much-anticipated debut at the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Hellenic Championship in Athens, Novak Djokovic faced a challenging yet familiar opponent on Tuesday.
As the top seed, Djokovic showcased his skill and determination, defeating Alejandro Tabilo with a score of 7-6(3), 6-1, thwarting the Chilean’s hopes of becoming only the second player, alongside Roger Federer, to start their Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Djokovic with three consecutive wins.
225 and counting 🎻
The 24-time major champion surges past Tabilo 7-6(3) 6-1 to notch his 225th tour-level quarter-final! 👏 #HellenicChampionship | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/L13T676PC3
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 4, 2025
“Playing in Athens feels like home to me,” Djokovic expressed, having recently moved to the city. “When I visited Greece with my family a few months ago, I felt an exhilarating connection. The bond between Serbians and Greeks is strong—historically, culturally, and spiritually.”
“Athens holds a special place in my heart, without a doubt.”
With a vibrant crowd surrounding him at the indoor hard-court ATP 250 event, Djokovic’s patience shone through in the first-set tie-break, before he settled into his rhythm for a commanding performance in the second set. This victory marks Djokovic’s milestone of 225 tour-level quarter-finals across 25 different nations.
After experiencing defeats to Tabilo on clay courts in Rome last year and in Monte-Carlo this season, Djokovic had vengeance on his mind during their inaugural hard-court clash—and he delivered! The former top-ranked player in the PIF ATP Rankings maintained his impeccable 28-0 record this year following the first set, dialing down any concerns about his fitness as the season winds down.
“I was feeling the pressure facing Tabilo, as I hadn’t previously won against him. We had met twice on clay, and he won both times. I felt a bit more anxious before this match than I usually do; however, I drew great energy from the crowd,” Djokovic remarked.
Next up, Djokovic will face Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the Athens quarter-finals.
In additional matches on Tuesday in the Greek capital, Sebastian Korda mounted an impressive comeback against Damir Dzumhur, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, marking his sixth hard-court quarter-final of the season. This achievement ties him with Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton for the most by an American in 2025.
Earlier, Tomas Martin Etcheverry overcame American qualifier Mackenzie McDonald with a score of 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 6-3 in a gripping two hours and 50 minutes. Etcheverry brilliantly saved the only break point he faced during the deciding set while firing off an impressive 19 aces, as noted by Infosys ATP Stats.
