Novak Djokovic will play at 2025 ATP Finals, says Italian tennis chief

Fans in Turin can look forward to watching Novak Djokovic after the Italian Federation Chief confirmed his place at the 2025 ATP Finals.

Djokovic's fitness issues and previous scheduling decisions made his involvement at the year-end championships uncertain. At 38, his commitment to tournaments cannot be guaranteed as much as it was in his earlier years.

The Serbian surprised many by withdrawing from the 2024 ATP Finals. Although he has played a reduced schedule for the last few years, not appearing at the most significant tournament outside the Grand Slams caused a stir.

Djokovic chose to vacation with his family during that time and then focus on preparing well for the 2025 Australian Open. At that point, the four Grand Slams were his priority, with other tournaments used to stay sharp.

However, Djokovic's mindset sounded different after he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2025 US Open semifinal. The tennis legend admitted his best chance of beating Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner was in a best-of-three set format.

That belief might have influenced his decision to play at the ATP Finals. Angelo Binaghi, chief of the Italian Tennis Federation, confirmed the news during an appearance on Rai Gr Parlamento Radio.

Djokovic, the most successful player in ATP Finals history with seven titles, participating at this year's iteration is a significant boost for the event. It has the potential to be one of the best tournaments of 2025.

The former world No. 1 reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slams this season and is still playing at a high level. When fully fit and playing well, his level undoubtedly remains the third-best on the ATP Tour.

Djokovic's repeated problem in 2025 has been not feeling 100% when he gets to the semifinal. He retired against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open, was in pain against Sinner at Wimbledon, and also managed aches and pains at the French Open and US Open.

In a best-of-three format, it will be fascinating to see how he performs. Djokovic is guaranteed to play at least one match against either Alcaraz or Sinner in the group stage, depending on the draw.

Djokovic and his family own the license for a tournament this week. Last year, it was held in Belgrade, although the 24-time Grand Slam champion did not play due to ending his season after the 2024 Six Kings Slam.

The event moved from Belgrade to Athens for 2025 amid reported tensions between Djokovic and the Serbian government. However, his involvement was uncertain after an update from the 38-year-old's brother about his fitness issues.

Thankfully, Djokovic is set to play in the city where he now resides after being filmed practicing at the arena. Organizers must be relieved after home favorite Stefanos Tsitsipas withdrew from the tournament.

Hopefully, Djokovic does not sustain any physical setbacks in Athens and will be entirely ready to play well at the ATP Finals.