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11/04 14:47 CST A win, a new home and tears: Novak Djokovic marks Greece's
tennis comeback with victory
A win, a new home and tears: Novak Djokovic marks Greece's tennis comeback with
victory
ATHENS, Greece (AP) --- Novak Djokovic battled through a tough opening set
before pulling away to defeat Chile's Alejandro Tabilo 7-6 (3), 6-1 at the
Hellenic Championship on Tuesday, the first top-tier tournament held in Greece
in more than 30 years.
Both players held their serve under pressure in the first set until Djokovic
edged out the tiebreaker. The momentum shifted in the second set, where the top
seed broke Tabilo twice and completed the match in just over 90 minutes.
Djokovic's win secured him a spot in the quarterfinals at the ATP 250 event, as
elite-level tennis returned to Greece for the first time since 1994. The
Telekom Center crowd in Athens offered constant support for the 38-year-old
Serb, who moved with his family to Athens earlier this year.
"It feels really like home playing in Athens," Djokovic said in an on-court
interview. "More than recognition for my tennis achievements, I felt that
people here approached me in a friendly and humane way, and that touched my
heart."
Djokovic had lost his past two encounters with the 28-year-old Tabilo and told
the crowd: "I'm thrilled to get through tonight. I played against Tabilo and
I've never won against him, so I was more under tension before the match than I
would be before some others."
Djokovic was brought to tears while watching a tribute video for Croatian
tennis great Nikola Pilic, who died earlier this year. Djokovic had trained at
Pilic's academy as a teenager.
"He was more than just a mentor and a coach to me," Djokovic told the crowd.
"He was part of my family --- to me and my brothers. He helped so much. I
definitely wouldn't be here without him."
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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