Djokovic wins the Athens tournament but then withdraws from the Finals, Musetti goes to Turin
Never before have two Italians been starters in the "Masters" tournament. Both will debut on Monday.(Ansa-George Vitsaras)
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Novak Djokovic only dashed Lorenzo Musetti's dream of participating in the ATP Finals for the first time in his career by a few minutes .
The Serbian champion first won the ATP 250 in Athens (101st career title) by defeating the Carrara native in a very close final that lasted 3 hours with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, denying him by 10 points the chance to overcome the Canadian Auger Aliassime and thus enter the top 8. Then at the net he whispered to him «Don't worry, I'm not going to Turin», and then made his decision official .
Those who are malicious will have every reason to believe that this withdrawal came after the final to avoid penalizing "his" tournament, directed by his brother Djordje. With Nole's withdrawal and the certainty of participating in the Finals, Musetti would not have played in Athens and would have withdrawn during the competition anyway.
For the first time in history, there will be two Italians among the eight starters at the Finals . In 2021, in the first edition in Turin, Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini took the field, but the South Tyrolean replaced the Roman as a substitute, forced to raise the white flag after the first set of the opening match against Alexander Zverev.
Musetti will make his debut on Monday afternoon against Taylor Fritz , in the Jimmy Connors group, which also includes Carlos Alcaraz and Alex De Minaur. Also on Monday evening, Jannik Sinner will make his debut against Felix Auger Aliassime , in the Bjorn Borg group, which also includes Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton.
A record-breaking edition for Italy at the ATP Finals, which begin Sunday. In addition to the two Italians in the singles, the Bolelli-Vavassori pair will also compete in the doubles.
Meanwhile, Darren Cahill has announced that he will remain with Sinner in 2026: "If Jannik wants me next year, I'll be there for him." And there's no doubt that Jannik wants him.
(Unioneonline/L)