A win, a new home and tears: Novak Djokovic marks Greece’s tennis comeback with victory

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Novak Djokovic battled through a tough opening set before pulling away to defeat Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo 7-6 (3), 6-1 at the Hellenic Championship on Tuesday, the first top-tier tournament held in Greece in more than 30 years.

Both players held their serve under pressure in the first set until Djokovic edged out the tiebreaker. The momentum shifted in the second set, where the top seed broke Tabilo twice and completed the match in just over 90 minutes.

Djokovic’s win secured him a spot in the quarterfinals at the ATP 250 event, as elite-level tennis returned to Greece for the first time since 1994. The Telekom Center crowd in Athens offered constant support for the 38-year-old Serb, who moved with his family to Athens earlier this year.

“It feels really like home playing in Athens,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview. “More than recognition for my tennis achievements, I felt that people here approached me in a friendly and humane way, and that touched my heart.”

Djokovic had lost his past two encounters with the 28-year-old Tabilo and told the crowd: “I’m thrilled to get through tonight. I played against Tabilo and I’ve never won against him, so I was more under tension before the match than I would be before some others.”

Djokovic was brought to tears while watching a tribute video for Croatian tennis great Nikola Pilic, who died earlier this year. Djokovic had trained at Pilic’s academy as a teenager.

“He was more than just a mentor and a coach to me,” Djokovic told the crowd. “He was part of my family — to me and my brothers. He helped so much. I definitely wouldn’t be here without him.”

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis