Novak Djokovic will be part of the final four of the tournament in Athens, where he took up residence after leaving Serbia and which is organized by his own family. Thursday, the Serb, who had not played in a tournament since his defeat against Valentin Vacherot in the semi-finals in Shanghai, dominated the Portuguese Nuno Borges (47th) with great seriousness (7-6, 6-4). He will face Hanfmann or Giron for a place in the final.
Will Novak Djokovic (38 years old) add a 101st tournament to his incredible collection, this weekend in Athens on the occasion of… his tournament? There is still a little way to go for the former world number 1, who reached the crazy milestone of one hundred titles last May by triumphing in Geneva but has not lifted a trophy since. The “GOAT” of tennis is however fast approaching and could reconnect this weekend with this habit of winning which has stuck to his skin for a long time before the advent of the formidable duo composed of Jannik Sinner, once again number 1, and the prodigious Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, again runner-up to his Italian rival.
Neither of the two men who deprived the “Djoker” of a new Grand Slam or Masters 1000 coronation in recent times is present in Greece, where the man with the 24 Majors has taken up residence. Djokovic, for his part, continues his journey. After having disposed of the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, who had beaten him in the first two duels between the two men, the world number 5 and number 1 seed of the tournament dismissed the Portuguese Nuno Borges on Thursday (7-6, 6-4) and he will compete on Friday against the German Yannick Hanfmann or the American Marcos Giron in a new semi-final, two victories away from adding a 101st title to his dizzying prize list.
The 101st title no longer seems very far away for Djokovic…
Solid, in particular on his shots (9 aces, 86% of points won on his first balls, 68% on the seconds), Djokovic did not really tremble in this part – he had to face two break points but brushed them both aside – which pitted him against the 47th in the world, who had burst into the limelight last June by claiming the scalp of Casper Ruud in the 2nd round of Roland-Garros. Borges, author of very good resistance, managed to push his prestigious opponent to a decisive game in the first set, but the Serb flew over him (7-1).
A break – the only one of the match – was then enough for the huge favorite of this tournament organized by the Djokovic family in Athens for the first time in history (Editor’s note: It previously took place in Belgrade) to finish it and find himself in the semi-finals, as he had been able to do in 2025 in the four Grand Slam meetings. History does not yet say whether the “GOAT” will reach the final in Athens, but the impression he left in his first two matches and the way in which he got the better of his opponents may suggest so.
