On November 9, 24-time Grand Slam champion and a legend of the game, Novak Djokovic secured his 101st career title, beating Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the final of the Hellenic Championships
in Athens. The Serbian who recently got his 100th career win, secured his 101st title in a hard fought match, which went on for nearly three hours.
With a title victory, Djokovic etched several feats, including becoming the oldest player to win an ATP event since Ken Rosewell, who lifted the title in 1977 in Hong Kong. Moreover, it was his second win in the year after earlier one came in Geneva in May. Moreover, the Serbian also became only the third man in the history to surpass 100 titles, joining Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors. He sits just two titles behind Federer and eight behind Connors in the all-time ATP leaderboard.
However, the victory was once to cherish, he soon afterwards confirmed his decision to pull out of the ATP Finals, set to be held next week in Turin. The decision from Djokovic comes as he struggles to keep himself fit, struggling with a shoulder injury at the moment. His absence, has however made way for Lorenzo Musetti. While Musetti’s defeat handed the qualifying berth to Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, but Djoovic’s decision to pull out later opened the door for Musetti.
Novak Djokovic dedicates Hellenic Championship win to people of Greece
The 38-year-old who won a hard-fought finale to lift his 101th title, took to X to dedicate his win to the people of Greece. "I dedicate this win to the wonderful people of Greece. You support me, you support tennis, you’ve made me feel at home ���� . Huge gratitude also to everyone who made this beautiful new tournament so special. Σας ευχαριστώ, για όλα," he captioned a post on X.
The record holder further went on to congratulate his finalist opponent Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, writing, "To Lorenzo, what an epic battle. Congratulations on an incredible performance and tournament. Keep it going, your future is bright. Idemooo �� ���� "
