Novak Djokovic was spotted practicing at the venue for the new 2025 Athens Open, giving fans hope he’ll actually play in the tournament. His participation had been up in the air due to ongoing fitness concerns.
The 38-year-old hasn’t competed since the Six Kings Slam earlier this year, where things didn’t go well at all.
Djokovic had to retire after just one set against Taylor Fritz. He looked pretty uncomfortable physically throughout that match, which was tough to watch for his fans.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | 38 | 8,360 | 18 - 6 |
This wasn’t an isolated incident either. He’d already been dealing with physical issues at the Shanghai Masters before that, even though he managed to reach the semifinals. It’s becoming a familiar story for the tennis legend, who’s been pretty honest about how his body doesn’t bounce back like it used to.
Family Concerns About His Fitness
Things got more worrying when Djordje Djokovic, Novak’s brother, gave an update about the situation a few days ago. The Djokovic family actually owns the Athens Open, which moved from Belgrade this year amid reports of tensions between Novak and the Serbian government.
Djordje explained that whatever problem started at Shanghai got worse during the Six Kings Slam. While Novak was making some progress recovering, his brother made it sound like playing in Athens was pretty unlikely.
That’s why the practice video is such good news.
The footage shows Djokovic hitting backhand returns at the OAKA Basketball Arena, which is where the Athens Open will take place. He’s not just hitting balls at some random club – he’s specifically training at the tournament venue.
Reading the Signs
This suggests the 24-time Grand Slam champion thinks he’ll be ready to compete. Getting comfortable with the surroundings before facing what’s guaranteed to be a packed crowd makes total sense.
In the video, Djokovic looks pretty relaxed hitting returns on the ad side. The serves coming at him appeared to be at a comfortable pace, and he was handling them without any obvious issues.
The timing couldn’t be better either. Stefanos Tsitsipas just withdrew from the Athens Open, which was a huge blow since he’s the obvious home favorite. That makes Djokovic’s potential participation even more important for the tournament.
Greek fans are probably crossing their fingers that he doesn’t have any setbacks between now and the event.
What About the ATP Finals?
Here’s where things get really interesting. Nobody knows if Djokovic plans to play at this year’s ATP Finals in Turin.
Last year, he skipped everything after the Six Kings Slam and pulled out of the ATP Finals completely. His reasoning was smart – he wanted to focus entirely on preparing for the 2025 season and the Australian Open.
The Athens Open could serve as perfect preparation for Turin, which runs from November 9th to 16th. Or it might be where he decides to end his season entirely.
Given his physical struggles this year, playing two consecutive weeks of high-level tennis might be asking too much.
But there’s another angle to consider. Djokovic has been refreshingly honest this year about his chances against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. He’s said his best shot at beating them is probably outside of Grand Slams, in the best-of-three format rather than best-of-five.
That mindset might make the ATP Finals more appealing than it was last year. The shorter format could actually work in his favor against the younger guys who’ve been dominating the tour.
For now, tennis fans will just have to wait and see if that practice session in Athens leads to an actual comeback.
