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Novak Djokovic eyes title in 19th different country as comeback

Originally posted on HITC | By George Patten | Last updated Oct 31, 2025 12:06 PM ET

Novak Djokovic is preparing to rejoin the ATP Tour at the Hellenic Championship, a new event taking place in Athens, Greece.

Djokovic’s most recent appearance came at the Six Kings Slam, where he suffered defeats to both Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz. Prior to that, he was knocked out of the Shanghai Masters in the semifinals by Valentin Vacherot.

Although he arrives as the top seed, Djokovic enters Athens on a three-match losing streak. The Hellenic Open main draw starts on February 26th and runs through March 3rd. Djokovic won’t have to play until Thursday 29th February due to his bye into the second round. His match is expected to be scheduled for either an afternoon or evening session.

Novak Djokovic scheduled to play his opening match on Tuesday, November 4

On the Hellenic Championship website, a statement confirmed the date of Djokovic’s first-round fixture.

“Fans can look forward to an incredible lineup – Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Karen Khachanov, and Stan Wawrinka will headline the draw,” they said.

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“The action begins right from the start: Djokovic is set to debut on Tuesday, November 4, Wawrinka opens the main draw on Sunday, November 2, while Tsitsipas joins early in the week, depending on the draw.”

Even with Joao Fonseca and Jakub Mensik pulling out of the event recently due to injuries, there are still plenty of top players in Athens.

The 38-year-old has lifted trophies in several different countries throughout his career, but exactly how many is that?

Adding Greece to the list would make it 19. It remains to be seen whether he can pull it off on his Athens debut, but either way, his opening match on Tuesday, November 4 is one you won’t want to miss.

Why Novak Djokovic is competing in the Hellenic Championship

The tournament was initially set to take place in Belgrade, Serbia, where Djokovic is from. But after some unexpected issues forced a change of location, the event shifted to Athens. Even so, Djokovic decided to stick with his original plan and compete.

Djordje Djokovic, who is both the tournament director and Novak’s brother, spoke recently about what led to the decision to relocate.

“This year we were not able to overcome those difficulties for logistical reasons,” he said. “So we reached the point where we had to move.”

“It was very difficult for us as Serbs – I was born and raised in Belgrade. It was also very difficult because we started organizing the event many months ago and had to throw everything away and start from scratch.”

He also noted that there’s room on the calendar for events in both cities going forward. Whether or not professional tennis returns to Belgrade before Djokovic calls time on his career remains an open question.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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