Djokovic Headlines Athens Revival While Musetti and Auger-Aliassime Vie for Turin

As the 2025 PIF ATP Live Race To Turin draws to a close, a pair of ATP 250 events on indoor hard courts in Athens and Metz intensify the push toward season’s end. The Vanda Pharmaceuticals Hellenic Championship brings ATP Tour tennis back to the Greek capital for the first time since 1994, headlined by Novak Djokovic, the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. His fellow Top 10 player, Lorenzo Musetti, joins him in chasing a deep run to secure the final open spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, while across the border at the Moselle Open, Felix Auger-Aliassime stands as the top seed, his form threatening to seal qualification early.

Djokovic eases into indoor rhythm

The 100-time tour-level champion steps back onto the court after reaching the Shanghai semifinals last month, entering as the top seed at 38 years old. He opens against Alejandro Tabilo or Adam Walton, where the low-bouncing indoor surface favors his precise serve-and-return game, blending flat crosscourt deliveries with occasional underspin slices to disrupt early momentum. This tune-up sharpens his focus for Turin, the cool arena air amplifying the echo of baseline rallies as he navigates fatigue with veteran poise.

Musetti, fresh from an early exit at the Paris Masters, sits ninth in the Live Race, trailing Auger-Aliassime by 160 points in his bid for a Nitto ATP Finals debut on home soil. The Italian’s fluid one-handed backhand could carve down-the-line winners under the lights, but he must harness crowd energy to counter the Canadian’s potential edge from a Paris final win over Jannik Sinner. Each match tests his resolve, turning the Greek venue into a stage for psychological breakthroughs.

Underdogs test Athens’ resolve

Third seed Luciano Darderi eyes his fourth title of the year and first off clay, adapting his grinding baseline style to indoor speed with flatter groundstrokes and aggressive inside-out forehands. Fourth seed Brandon Nakashima leads a strong American group that includes Reilly Opelka and Sebastian Korda, all seeking to cap the season with hardware amid the event’s historic buzz. Nakashima’s steady returns force prolonged exchanges, where the contained atmosphere rewards patience over raw power.

Wildcard Stan Wawrinka, still competitive at 40, closes his 24th professional season against Botic van de Zandschulp, with the winner facing Musetti next. The Swiss veteran’s heavy topspin forehands pull opponents wide on the slick courts, blending experience with the younger Dutchman’s flat inside-in strikes in a matchup that echoes generational tension. Wawrinka’s grit offers a reminder of endurance as the draw tightens.

In doubles, top seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul pursue a second ATP 250 title, their net poaches and crosscourt lobs suited to the tight indoor lines. They confront second seeds Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler, alongside home wildcards Pavlos Tsitsipas and Petros Tsitsipas, brothers of Stefanos Tsitsipas, whose family ties infuse local fervor into synchronized volleys and alley defenses.

Auger-Aliassime steers Metz momentum

Renowned for indoor success, Auger-Aliassime arrives sharp after his third title in Brussels, Basel quarters, and the Paris final, his kick serves and inside-out forehands gripping the surface to pin returns deep. Victory over Sinner would mark his Nitto ATP Finals return since 2022, solidifying his lead and shifting pressure onto Musetti. The Canadian’s tactical calm thrives in these echoes, varying one–two patterns to exploit footing on the quick hard courts.

Alexander Bublik, despite a Paris semifinal loss to Auger-Aliassime ending his Turin hopes, chases a fifth title in a career-best year at 28. The Kazakhstani’s unorthodox drop shots and underspin slices disrupt rhythm indoors, turning rallies into creative duels where his overheads clash against the top seed’s returns. Bublik’s flair could extend points, feeding off the venue’s intensity to redefine his season’s arc.

Sixth seed Arthur Rinderknech heads a contingent of 10 Frenchmen, including eighth seed Corentin Moutet, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Terence Atmane, Arthur Cazaux, and Adrian Mannarino, all targeting a third straight home winner after Ugo Humbert‘s 2023 triumph and Benjamin Bonzi‘s 2024 run. Rinderknech’s aggressive serve-volley rushes the net, rallying supporters as crosscourt passes heighten the national charge against international seeds.

Alexander Blockx, seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, enters via a Next Gen spot, eyeing the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF through the ATP’s Next Gen Accelerator for players aged 20-and-under in the Top 250. The Belgian’s bold inside-in forehands test his adaptability, low slices countering big serves in dry air that demands quick pivots toward qualification.

Doubles sees second seeds Sander Arends and Luke Johnson defend their crown, aiming for a third title after Hong Kong and Barcelona, their poaching lines clashing with top seeds Andre Goransson and Jan Zielinski‘s passing shots. Home favorites Quentin Halys and Pierre-Hugues Herbert leverage crowd roars for alley poaches and lob returns, mirroring the singles’ blend of strategy and emotion as these draws propel players into the off-season’s reflective horizon.