Former doubles world No 1 Nicolas Mahut has questioned Novak Djokovic’s choice to play in Athens as he argued that the tennis great’s scheduling “isn’t very coherent.”
Djokovic is currently competing at the inaugural edition of the Hellenic Championship, an indoor hard-court ATP 250 tournament staged in Greece’s capital.
The event, which replaced the Belgrade Open, is organised by the Djokovic family, with Novak’s brother Djordje the tournament director. Djokovic and his family moved from Serbia to Greece in September.
Nicolas Mahut on Novak Djokovic’s schedule
- Nicolas Mahut does not understand Novak Djokovic’s decision to play the Hellenic Championship in Athens ahead of the ATP Finals
- The Frenchman thinks it would have been more logical for Djokovic to play the Paris Masters instead
- Djokovic recently paid tribute to Mahut, who played the final match of his career in Paris last week
Djokovic has revealed he will make a decision on his participation at the ATP Finals in Turin after his campaign at the Hellenic Championship. The ATP Finals will begin on November 9, the day after the final in Athens.
The 38-year-old Serbian is seeking his second title of 2025 in Athens, having won his 100th and most recent ATP singles title at the ATP 250 in Geneva in May. Djokovic, who is ranked fifth in the world, is the top seed and favourite to win in Greece.
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What Mahut said about Djokovic’s scheduling decisions
Speaking to Eurosport France, Mahut assessed Djokovic’s end of season schedule and pointed out how the 24-time major winner’s progress in Athens could impact him at the ATP Finals.
“I don’t understand this scheduling of the Athens tournament, even if it’s his family organising it,” said the five-time Grand Slam doubles champion.
“Logically, he plays Shanghai, prepares indoors, and then plays the Rolex Paris Masters. But Athens is just the week before the Masters (ATP Finals).
“He travels, and if he reaches the final, it adds matches to his schedule every day because the tournament finishes the day before the Masters starts.
“For me, considering his plan to play the Masters, this scheduling isn’t very coherent.”
What Djokovic said about Mahut’s retirement
Mahut, who is 43, called time on his 25-year professional career at last week’s Paris Masters, where he partnered Grigor Dimitrov in his last match.
The Frenchman revealed Djokovic had agreed to play doubles with him if he played the ATP 1000 event in Paris, but the Serb ultimately chose not to compete.
“Initially, I was kind of waiting for Novak, who had told me at Roland Garros, ‘If I come to Paris, I promise we’ll play together.’ In the end, he didn’t come, so it was a bit tough,” Mahut explained.
Following Mahut’s retirement, Djokovic wrote on his Instagram story: “Well done Nico, congratulations on your brilliant career.”
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