Novak Djokovic's title in Athens may not be of great importance to his legacy, but given the circumstances, every win is a big one now. How was his season at the age of 39
Novak Đoković he finished another season at ATP tour and that in the best possible way - with the title. In the final of the 250 series tournament in Athens, he defeated the 9th ranked tennis player in the world, the Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
It was, by the standards of the 250-ranked tournament, a spectacular final. The first set was taken by Muzetti with great efforts, and then Djokovic raised the level of play and equalized, and finally turned it around in an uncertain ending in which breaks were fired on both sides.
Novak lost his breath in some games, got nervous, missed, and already in the next he was dancing on the court, catching elusive diagonals and winning points from the ropes. Everything that the audience wants to see from him.
The final in Athens was more than a title fight for Musetti. This year is the best of his career in terms of ranking on the ATP list. In June, he momentarily climbed as high as 6th place, but until this weekend he failed to secure the reward for a quality season and qualify for the final tournament in Turin.
The title in Athens would ensure him that, and since Djokovic reached it, Muzetti remained the first under the line for the final Masters. A decision was awaited whether Novak, who had previously cemented his place in Turin, would give up or not.
Although it was speculated that he would appear in the final tournament, Djokovic withdrew immediately after the final. It will be the second year in a row that he does not play in Turin, and as the reason he cited an injury that has been going on for some time.
The performance in Turin, admittedly, is not overly important for Novak at this stage of his career. He already set a record there when he won the 7th title two years ago and thus overtook Roger Federer on the all-time list. Ranking in the ATP table is also, as he says, not on his list of priorities for a long time, so this difficult season for Novak ended in Athens.
In terms of results, Novak has the weakest tennis year since 2006. For the boss of "Informer", Dragan J. Vučićević, it is enough to say that the best tennis player of all time is "failed", but there are some other things in between, non-tennis related.
Just how unreal Djokovic's achievements in tennis are, is shown by his "weakest season": semi-finals at each of the four Grand Slams, three ATP finals, one of which is at the Masters 1000 series in Miami and two titles in Geneva and Athens - this is the season that the greatest player of all time played at the age of 39 and that puts him just a few points below the Top 3 on the ATP list. Many tennis players can only dream of such a "weak" season.
In almost every match that Djokovic plays, some tennis record is in danger. It was the same this Saturday, the title in Athens was the 101st in his career, but also the 73rd on hard court, which is one more than the previous record holder Roger Federer.
The title in Athens, although the least valuable in the hierarchy of the ATP tour, is the ideal way to end another professional season of Djokovic, which has already numbered more than twenty. Considering the age, and the fact that the end is approaching, every victory, even this small one, is a real pleasure, which was evident from Novak's reaction.
He ripped his shirt again after the match, as he did after the six-hour Australian final with Nadal in 2012 and after the trench battle with Alcaraz in Cincinnati in 2023.
It is not the same Novak, nor is this result of any importance for his career and legacy. But it's good to see him still winning. And if this is what "deterioration" looks like, let it decay for many years to come.
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