Novak Djokovic rubbishes comments about him being confirmed for ATP Finals

Novak Djokovic has yet to decide whether he will participate in the 2025 ATP Finals, contradicting recent statements from the Italian Tennis Federation chief.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion began his 2025 Athens Open campaign with a 7-6, 6-1 victory against Alejandro Tabilo. It was a first win in three attempts against the Chilean, navigating a potentially challenging opening match.

Djokovic would undoubtedly have played in Athens regardless of his other plans since he and his family own the tournament. It was held in Belgrade until being moved this year after Djokovic moved to Athens amid reported tensions with the Serbian government.

The 2025 ATP Finals begin on Sunday. Speculation about whether Djokovic will compete at the year-end championships seemed to be over when the Italian Tennis Federation chief, Angelo Binaghi, said the tennis legend will appear in Turin.

Djokovic was asked about Binaghi's words during media duties at the Athens Open. The 38-year-old said he had not decided about playing in Turin, and that any information Binaghi had been given was not from him or his team.

Hopefully, Binaghi's mistake was genuine and not a cynical move to generate attention ahead of the ATP Finals. Such ploys have been used in tennis and other sports before, so it cannot be ruled out.

If Djokovic chooses not to compete at the tournament he has won seven times, it would make the race between Lorenzo Musetti and Felix Auger-Aliassime redundant. Musetti can qualify if he wins the Athens Open after Auger-Aliassime withdrew from the 2025 Moselle Open.

Djokovic's next match in Athens will be against Nuno Borges in the quarterfinals. Although the Portuguese is a solid player and a battler, the former ATP world No. 1 will expect to triumph in that contest.

If Djokovic wins that match and then reaches the final, Musetti is a possible opponent. The Italian needing to beat the Serbian for a confirmed place at the ATP Finals would be an epic way to decide the final lineup.

However, a match between Djokovic and Musetti is far from certain. The Italian must first navigate a round-of-16 battle against three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka to keep his hopes of ATP Finals qualification alive.

40-year-old Wawrinka delighted the fans in Athens by defeating Botic van de Zandschulp 2-6, 7-6, 7-5. Although an incredible effort at his age, the Swiss legend will almost certainly need a better performance against Musetti.

Despite an impressive last few years, Musetti has not won a title since the 2022 Napoli Cup, which occurred over three years ago. His most recent final loss was a brutal one at the 2025 Chengdu Open in September. He cried after being defeated despite holding match points.

Sebastian Korda is one man in that half of the draw who has already sealed his place in the quarterfinal. The American wants to finish on a high after enduring a challenging season, blighted by injury and form issues.