Djokovic does not want scares and roars towards the title in Athens

Carlos Navarro | 6 Nov 2025 | 18.48

Djokovic continues to advance and spread fear in Athens. Source: Getty

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Novak Djokovic has title number 101 in his career as his clear goal and he won't stop until he achieves it. The setting also provides special motivation: Athens, his new home, where he has been welcomed with honors and has already delighted the Greek audience. Nuno Borges was his latest challenge, and the Portuguese presented an interesting candidacy, making things very difficult for the Serbian in a fiercely contested first set... but Nole turned into a warrior in the first set tiebreak and found a single crack in the second to close the match without major scares (7-6(1), 6-4), repeating the script of his first match against Tabilo and securing his spot in the semifinals.

Anything other than lifting the trophy at the ATP Athens 2025 would be considered a surprise for Novak Djokovic. He is the main attraction, the leading candidate, the player at home, and the star that everyone is watching in Greek territory. He attracts a significant portion of the tennis spotlight in a week where many are already focused on Turin, and his performance today showed why, displaying sublime tennis in the crucial moments of the match to crush the hopes of a resilient Nuno Borges.

The first set tells of an even affair. Tense. Tight. The audience at the mythical OAKA held their breath against an opponent who came to fight: sharp with the forehand, earning a good number of free points on serve, and saving the few tricky situations he encountered. When Nuno avoided a couple of break points and leveled the first set at 4-4, we saw the only moment when Novak seemed vulnerable: a slight mental dip after not capitalizing on these opportunities gave, on the contrary, two break points to the Portuguese... which Nole brilliantly saved to equalize a contest he would not relinquish.

It was in the first set tiebreak where the best of Novak Djokovic emerged, with a spectacular combination of winning shots, including a great cross-court backhand passing shot after a tough exchange near the net. Winning the first set brought calm to the Serbian, who came out with a different demeanor in the second set and achieved an early break that he would not let slip away, caging a Borges who ended up calling for the physio due to pain in his right leg.

It was a particularly clinical performance from the Serbian with the serve: an average of 9.0 (according to Tennis Insights statistics), 10 aces, and a tremendous 86% of points won on first serve. His forehand was also at a very high level, a key weapon to achieve success on fast courts, delivering 5 winners, an average score of 8.5, hitting 89% of forehands in and surpassing in speed and revolutions his opponent's forehand.

There may still be certain aspects that limit the Serbian's ceiling. Aspects more related to age and the passage of time: in returns, the reflexes are not what they used to be, with many more difficulties breaking the serve of a player far from being a consummate server (although he ended up averaging a score of 8, a sharp contrast to the Portuguese's 6.1). Nole will need to sharpen his aim when facing more established servers, but with his two main weapons finely tuned, Djoker has more than enough to continue advancing on Greek soil. His next challenge, Marcos Giron or Yannick Hanfmann... and a goal getting closer and closer: the 101st title in his new home. He is now just two steps away from his destination.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Djokovic no quiere sustos y ruge hacia el título en Atenas