Kamil Majchrzak is a guest at Novak Djokovic's new home

Not long ago, such a scenario would have seemed utterly unimaginable. Politics, however, sometimes intersects even with a sport as financially independent as tennis, leading to a bizarre separation. For years idolized by his compatriots, Novak Djokovic and his family permanently moved to Greece, all because the 24-time Grand Slam champion supported the young demonstrators following the student protests following the construction collapse at the Novi Sad train station on November 1, 2024, which resulted in 16 deaths.

The president called him a traitor

"Serbia has enormous potential, and educated youth are its great strength. As someone who deeply believes in the power of young people and their desire for a better future, I believe it's important for their voices to be heard. We need mutual understanding and respect," he shared on social media and spoke out against violence in December. This prompted an immediate reaction from the authorities. President Aleksandar Vučić, who had previously supported him, including after his expulsion from Australia during the coronavirus pandemic, branded the tennis player a traitor. Djokovic's family, which holds the license to host the autumn tournament in Belgrade, began to face obstacles. Eventually, Nole decided to move permanently to Athens, where he received a so-called golden visa. He also quickly secured support from the prime minister there – Kyriakos Mitsotakis is the father of Konstantinos, the partner of Iga Świątek's rival, Maria Sakkari. She had previously participated in Novak's foundation projects, so informal support came from there as well. And so, after all these twists and turns, for the first time since 1994, the ATP tournament came to the Greek capital.

A chance for revenge

"Kalimera Hellada," Djokovic greeted his fans, becoming the number one seed in the bracket and announcing the competition at the Telekom Center, which hosts Europe's top basketball players. This is where Kamil Majchrzak will play this week, facing Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round. He has met the Serb twice so far. In 2021, he lost to him at both the Australian Open and the Tokyo Olympics. Now, as a much better player than he was then, he will get a chance for revenge. If he wins, he will still face Italian Luciano Darderi, and if he wins again, a quarterfinal clash with the number two seed, Lorenzo Musetti, another Italian, is very likely, fighting for the last available spot at the ATP Finals in Turin. We believe the Piotrków Trybunalski will end this season on a strong note...

The seven are already known

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, who defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6(4) in the final in Paris on Sunday to regain the lead in the ATP rankings, Alexander Zverev, Djokovic, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, and Alex de Minaur have already qualified for the men's Masters. The coming days in Metz and Athens will decide whether Auger-Aliassime or Musetti will play. Currently, the Canadian has 160 points more than his name and is closer to the event, where the world's best players will share over $15 million in prize money.

NUMBER

766

thousand euros

is the prize pool for the ATP 250 Vanda Pharmaceuticals Hellenic Championships in Athens. The winner will receive €116,690. Each player – including Kamil Majchrzak – will receive €8,220 for participating.