Golden triumph: Djokovic secures 100th ATP title, ready for French Open bid
'I had to work for it, that's for sure. He was probably closer to winning the entire match than me.'
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Daily Tribune'I had to work for it, that's for sure. He was probably closer to winning the entire match than me.'
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NOVAK Djokovic plucks his 100th ATP victory following a 5-7, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/2) win over Hubert Hurkacz in the final of the Geneva Open.
Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD/Agence France-Presse
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Novak Djokovic became just the third man to win 100 ATP titles with a typically dramatic comeback victory over Hubert Hurkacz in the final of the Geneva Open on Saturday.
Playing in Switzerland in a bid to find form ahead of the French Open, the 38-year-old Djokovic recovered from losing the first set to clinch a 5-7, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/2) win after three hours and five minutes on court.
Djokovic joins Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer as the only players with a century of tour titles.
"I had to work for it, that's for sure. He was probably closer to winning the entire match than me," said Djokovic, who is the first man to win titles in 20 consecutive years.
"I was just trying to hang in there. This is what happens at this level. A few points decide it, an incredible match... and I'm delighted to clinch the 100 here."
It was the former world No. 1’s first tournament triumph since clinching his maiden Olympic gold medal against Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Games last summer.
Djokovic had lost both of his previous matches on clay this season prior to the Geneva tournament, against Alejandro Tabilo and Matteo Arnaldi at the Monte Carlo and Madrid Masters respectively.
But he decided to play at the low-key clay-court event in a bid to find form ahead of the start of the year's second Grand Slam event on Sunday at Roland Garros, where the Serbian will be targeting a record-breaking 25th major singles trophy.
It was Djokovic's first tournament since splitting from coach and old rival Andy Murray, but he showed no ill-effects.
Poland's former world No. 6 Hurkacz, now ranked 31st, is still waiting for his first title since April 2024.
"It's really inspiring how you conduct yourself on and off the court," Hurkacz said to Djokovic.
The three-time Roland Garros champion starts his French Open campaign against American Mackenzie McDonald on either Monday or Tuesday.
After a tight start, Djokovic saw two break points come and go in the fifth game as Hurkacz battled to keep the first set on serve.
The opener appeared to be meandering towards a tie-break until Djokovic cracked in game 12, following a loose forehand at deuce with a double-fault on set point to give Hurkacz a one-set advantage.
Hurkacz dug deep to secure a hard-fought hold to kick off the second set, staving off another break point.
The second set followed a similar pattern to the first, but this time Djokovic was able to hold at 6-5 down to force a tie-break with an ace.
The Serbian found his groove in the breaker, reeling off four straight points to send the match into a deciding set.
But Djokovic immediately gave up his serve in the first game of the third set, serving a double-fault when 40-30 up and then blasting a backhand long on breakpoint.
Hurkacz then reeled off three successive holds to edge towards the title, only to crumble in the eighth game of the decider with two unforced errors and a double-fault to give Djokovic a way back into the final.
