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ANOTHER RECORD LOOMS AS NOVAK DJOKOVIC EDGES TOWARD TENNIS HISTORY

Novak Djokovic has qualified for the 2025 ATP Finals, but his participation is uncertain. The 38-year-old has only confirmed he will play the Athens ATP 250, leaving his Turin plans unclear as he chases a 25th Major.

Another Record Looms as Novak Djokovic Edges Toward Tennis History
Novak Djokovic - Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

Although Novak Djokovic has formally qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin in 2025, it is uncertain if he will attend the most prominent event on the ATP calendar to date. The former world No. 1—who won in Turin in 2022 and 2023—has simply confirmed that he would be competing in the Athens ATP 250 for the time being, without providing a detailed schedule for the remainder of the season.

The Serbian veteran had a great season, winning his 100th career championship and being very consistent in the majors (making it to the semifinals in Melbourne, Paris, London, and New York), while not achieving his aim of capturing another Grand Slam title.

The Belgrade native, 38, is ranked third in the ATP Race and is arguably the strongest player behind Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have seized control of the men's tour and, barring any surprises, will continue to dominate for many years to come.

Is Nole going to Turin?

Nole is once again stuck at 16 appearances in the Masters after missing the most recent edition of the ATP Finals. Only his long-time opponent, Roger Federer, with 17 appearances, is ahead of him, while Andre Agassi, with 13, is ranked third.

Novak reaffirmed that he has not yet considered retiring and that he intends to continue playing at the highest level, following in the footsteps of other modern-day sports greats like LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Cristiano Ronaldo, despite suffering repeated defeats to Sinner and Alcaraz over the previous two seasons.

The consensus is that the Serbian legend's future will be decided by next year, as he hopes to record a new chapter in tennis history by winning his 25th major title throughout his incredible career. The Australian Open in 2026 will be his next opportunity.

THE EIGHT-YEAR GAP: SVITOLINA REACHES FIRST WTA 1000 FINAL SINCE 2018 IN DUBAI

Svitolina stuns Gauff! Discover how she reached the Dubai final to face Pegula, plus Alcaraz's 11-0 streak and Venus' return.

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Ukrainian star reaches Dubai final after 3-hour marathon epic

Elina Svitolina stunned world number four Coco Gauff to earn a spot in the Dubai Tennis Championships final, where she’ll face Jessica Pegula.

Pegula got there first, clawing her way back after a rough start against Amanda Anisimova. She dropped the first set badly and even lost her serve early in the second, but still pulled off a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.

Gauff, just 21, almost set up an all-American final, but Svitolina refused to fold. The match? Epic. Svitolina took it 6-4, 6-7 (13-15), 6-4 after more than three hours on court. She let four match points slip in a wild second-set tiebreak, but didn’t let that break her. She powered through the decider, and now she’s back in the Dubai final for the first time since she won the title back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.

“I was playing like there’s no tomorrow, just giving it everything,” Svitolina said afterwards.

Over in the men’s Qatar Open, world number one Carlos Alcaraz kept his perfect 2026 record alive. He beat Andrey Rublev 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 to reach the final. Alcaraz, just 22, already grabbed the Australian Open this season and became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam. He’s won all 11 matches he’s played this year.

“I know what I can do every time I step on the court,” Alcaraz said.

He’ll face Arthur Fils from France in the final. Fils beat Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic, who’d knocked out world number two Jannik Sinner earlier in the week, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).

And in some more big news, Venus Williams is heading back to Indian Wells. The seven-time Grand Slam champ, now 45, got a wildcard for both singles and doubles.

“It’s great to be heading back to Indian Wells and returning home to California,” Williams said in a statement.

9-0 STREAK: ANALYZING CARLOS ALCARAZ’S PERFECT START TO THE 2026 TENNIS SEASON

Alcaraz hits 9-0: Discover why Valentin Royer warned Alcaraz and Sinner after their 2026 clash and the latest ATP rankings.

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Carlos Alcaraz extends his unbeaten 2026 run to nine matches

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner just got a playful warning from their ATP rival, Valentin Royer.

Alcaraz, with seven Grand Slam titles, and Sinner, who has four, have completely owned men’s tennis for the last couple of years. They’ve split the last nine majors; each grabbed four ATP Masters 1000 trophies; and keep swapping the No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings.

No one else has really kept up. Novak Djokovic is still hanging around, but the rest of the guys, like Alexander Zverev, Lorenzo Musetti, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Ben Shelton, are all chasing from behind.

Alcaraz is rolling right now. He’s unbeaten in 2026 so far, standing at 9-0. After winning his first Australian Open title, he followed up with wins over Arthur Rinderknech and Royer.

After Alcaraz beat Royer 6-2, 7-5, the two shared a light moment at the net. Royer, currently world No. 60, told Alcaraz, “I’ll come for you and Jannik, don’t worry. Some day.” Alcaraz laughed and said, “I will wait for you, man.”

Royer actually had a shot in the second set. He broke Alcaraz’s serve early and was up 5-3, serving for the set, but Alcaraz broke back, held serve, and broke again to close out the match.

Asked if he was nervous, Alcaraz admitted, “Honestly, I had to be ready for anything. There were moments when I thought about a third set; I’m not going to lie. But that was just a small part of my mind. Mostly, I was focused on finding solutions, figuring out how to get back on track.

“I’m really happy I found my rhythm again and played good tennis. Sometimes it just comes down to one point. Closing out a set or a match isn’t always easy. I just had to stay in it, and I’m glad I turned it around and got the win in straight sets.”

Next, he faces seventh seed Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals. If he gets through, he’ll meet either Andrey Rublev or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semis. Sinner is the likely opponent waiting in the final.

“Everybody expects us to play every final, every tournament, but that’s not easy. There are a lot of players out here who want to beat us,” Alcaraz said about a possible final against Sinner.

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