PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 04: Gold medalist Novak Djokovic of Team Serbia celebrates on the podium during the Tennis Men’s Singles medal ceremony after the Tennis Men’s Singles Gold medal match on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Roland Garros on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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Not so fast, Novak Djokovic says.
After it had been reported that the Serbian legend would play in next week’s ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, Djokovic pumped the brakes on the story.
“I don’t know where he got that information from,” Djokovic said in Greece, where he’s set to play Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Hellenic Championship. “Definitely not from me or my team. I will decide at the end of this tournament.”
“He” in this case refers to the head of Italy’s tennis federation, Angelo Binaghi.
“We have confirmation that Djokovic will be in Turin,” Binaghi told Italian radio channel Rai Gr Parlamento on Monday, via The Independent.
Djokovic withdrew from the Paris Masters after retiring from his match against Taylor Fritz at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia. The Serb battled a leg injury and retired against Fritz after losing the first-set tiebreak.
He then entered the tournament in Greece to get in some matches.
If he were to play Turin, it would be big news for the tennis world.
“This is an absolute coup for the Year-End Championships and for the ATP Tour overall,” ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe said via text after the initial report came out.
“This also makes it very clear about Djokovic’s commitment to 2026, especially the Australian Open in January.”
Djokovic has won the ATP Finals a record seven times (2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2022 and 2023).
The eight players in Turin will be divided into two groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals. Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Fritz, Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur will compete, with the final spot to be determined in the coming days.