Novak Djokovic's Political Views Reportedly Caused Serbia Open's Move To Greece

Wednesday, 06 August 2025 at 14:45

byJordan Reynolds

Novak Djokovic's honesty and willingness to adhere to his beliefs and principles have won him many fans, but being open might have caused Serbian fans to lose an ATP event.

The Serbia Open was the only tournament in the country on the ATP calendar. Scheduled for November 2nd to 8th this year, a week before the 2025 ATP Finals, it would have been pivotal to some players' qualification hopes for the year-end finals.

Djokovic did not play at the 2024 Serbia Open or ATP Finals after electing to take an extended break before preparing for the 2025 Australian Open, reaching the semifinal before retiring at that stage with an injury.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion's family runs the tournament, which Denis Shapovalov won last year. They preferred to have the 2025 edition in Belgrade once again, but an announcement revealed that it will now be played in Athens.

"ATP 250 Hellenic Championship is organised by the experienced team behind nine previous international tournaments in Belgrade. This latest project builds on that legacy, with preparations well underway to deliver a world-class event in the historic city of Athens. We look forward to welcoming the tennis world to Greece this November."

Why might the event have moved from Belgrade?

Although no one linked to the tournament has provided the official reason, rumors have circulated in the Serbian media about Djokovic's views on the country's government influencing the event's relocation.

Since November 2024, protests, mostly from younger people in Serbia, have been staged against the government and its president, Aleksandar Vukic. The state's response to the protests has been hugely controversial, and many consider it oppressive and an attempt to crack down on speech.

Djokovic made his feelings about the matter abundantly clear in January. The former ATP world No. 1 condemned what he called "violence" against the protestors and praised them for speaking up against the government.

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Serbia's biggest sporting icon's criticism was undoubtedly a significant blow, but if recent reports from Serbia are correct, the government's tension with Djokovic might be even deeper than initially thought.

Some sources say Djokovic's family moved the tournament to Athens because of the tennis legend's hostile relationship with his home country's government. If that is confirmed, public disdain for the government might increase further.

Djokovic used to share a better relationship with President Vucic

During Djokovic's detention and eventual deportation from Australia in January 2022, he issued a heartfelt thank you to President Vucic for being supportive and ensuring he did not feel alone throughout the process.

Those warm relations contrast with how the Serbian government currently views Djokovic. One minister, for example, attacked the seven-time Australian Open winner for paying taxes in Monaco and siding with those the minister claims want an independent Kosovo.

"You have Novak Djokovic's statement. Without doubt, he is a fantastic athlete, but also a taxpayer of Monaco. His family is from Kosovo, he won Wimbledon, and deals with 'pomp' and explains why he did this."

"First, he hides behind the children, which I think is very ugly. Secondly, he sides with those who commit violence in this country and supports those who want an independent Kosovo."