Djokovic Reaches 144th ATP Final in Athens

Greece has been kind to Novak Djokovic, and he’s making the most of his stay in Athens. The Serbian icon reached his 144th career ATP final on Friday, defeating Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann, 6-3, 6-4, to reach his third final of the season. 

Djokovic will face either Lorenzo Musetti or Sebastian Korda in Saturday’s final. 

“I think it was the best tennis that I played in this tournament,” Djokovic said after earning his 38th win of the season in one hour and 19 minutes.  “It came at the right time. Obviously I knew that Hanfmann poses a great threat because he’s a very tall player who serves very big, has big shots, big game. He’s very aggressive, taking the ball early and very flat and takes away time from his opponent.” 

Djokovic was strong from the service stripe, knocking down nine aces and winning nine of 13 second serve points. He dropped just 14 points on serve overall.

The 24-time major champion broke Hanfmann for 4-2 in the second, and added a second break to close the set by winning the final four games.

Djokovic found himself down a break in the second but quickly turned the tide, rallying to win the final five games of the match. 

“I needed to stay focused all the way through,” the 38-year-old added. “I was a break down in the second set, 3-1, but I held my composure and didn’t allow myself to get too negative. All in all, a great level of tennis, I’m very content and looking forward to tomorrow’s final.” 

Djokovic hit 17 winners against 12 unforced errors; Hanfmann hit 16 winners and 21 unforced errors. The 24-time major champion only faced one break point, and converted three of six against 33-year-old Hanfmann.