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Less than a day after the president of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation confidently claimed that Novak Djokovic would feature at this year's ATP Finals, the tennis legend himself has given a different response.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion, is one of the seven players who have already booked their places for the season-ending showpiece in Turin, along with Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Alex De Minaur.
There were speculations regarding the Serbian player's participation, given that he skipped last year's edition while after a reduced playing schedule, which focuses mostly on the four Grand Slam and tournaments of special personal significance.
This year, Djokovic has maintained a same approach, sparking doubts that he might once again opt out of Turin. Despite that, Angelo Binaghi, president of Italian Tennis, said earlier this week that the world No. 5 had confirmed his participation.
“We have confirmation that Djokovic will play in Turin,” Binaghi told radio channel Rai Gr Parlamento.
However, Djokovic refuted the claim.
“I don’t know where he (Binaghi) got that information from. Definitely not from me or my team. I will decide at the end of this tournament,” he clarified.
Currently playing at the Hellenic Championship, Djokovic began his campaign with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 win over Alejandro Tabilo, preventing the Chilean from claiming a third straight win in their head-to-head encounters.
Now based in Athens with his family, Djokovic justified why the Greek events hold importance for him.
“It feels really at home, playing in Athens. A few months ago when I came here with my family, I was very excited because I have always loved Greece,” he said.
The 38-year-old, whose only title this season came at the Geneva Open in May, will face Nuno Borges in the quarter-finals. Djokovic remains the favourite for the title and could meet second seed Lorenzo Musetti in the final — a match that could significantly affect the ATP Finals lineup.
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