It looks like Novak Djokovic’s ATP Finals plan just got decided by forces beyond his control.NN
Novak Djokovic is one win away from his 101st career title after reaching the final of the ATP 250 event in Athens, but does his fine form in Greece suggest he is ready to play in next week’s ATP Finals?
The 24-time Grand Slam champion defeated German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals of the Hellenic Championship and he will play Lorenzo Musetti to decide the title on Saturday.
“I think it was the best tennis I’ve played this tournament,” said Djokovic after his win.
“It came at the right time. Hanfmann poses a great threat because he serves big, has a big game, so I needed to really stay focused. I was a break down in the second, but I held my composure. I’m very excited for the final.”
Musetti will snatch the final place in the ATP Finals line-up if he beats Djokovic in the Athens final, but he will come up just five points short of securing a position in the Turin event in front of his home fans if he is beaten.
Italian Musetti was match point down against Sebastian Korda in the semi-finals in Athens, but found a way to beat fatigue and the pressure of trying to qualify for Turin to get over the winning line.
Yet this story has always been laced with uncertainty, as the battle to reach the ATP Finals has hung on the decision Djokovic makes after the tournament in Greece.
Djokovic has dismissed claims from Italian tennis chief Angelo Binaghi that he will play at the end-of-season showpiece event and insisted he will only make a call on whether to play when he assesses how he feels after the Athens event.
Having reached the final, it is safe to assume Djokovic will feel some physical issues after a week, when he has often looked jaded in matches.
There is also a very quick turnaround between the end of the Athens tournament and the start of the ATP Finals on Sunday, meaning Djokovic’s refusal to confirm whether he will play in Turin is a major inconvenience for players, tournament organisers and the fans who don’t know who they will see playing when they book their tickets the event in Italy.
Some could argue that Djokovic is embarking on a self-indulgent exercise by refusing to confirm if he will play, with Félix Auger-Aliassime already in Turin as he is currently holding the final play to compete in the finals.
That will be taken by Musetti if he wins the Athens title, but he looked tired after a hectic run of events and a tension-filled week of tournament action is hardly the ideal preparation for the Italian, even if he lifts the trophy on Saturday.
Recent history may suggest that Djokovic is unlikely to play back-to-back tournaments with a quick turnaround and that would suggest he is more likely than not to pull out of the ATP Finals.
The answer to that question has to come on Saturday and it can’t come soon enough for Musetti and Auger-Aliassime.
Djokovic will not tell Musetti whether he will play in Turin prior to their match and that will give the Italian a different mindset heading into the final, but questions need to be asked over whether the decision should have been made long ago.
