Novak Djokovic seems pretty settled on moving his family to Greece. Last year, he packed up and left Belgrade for Athens with Jelena and their kids, Stefan and Tara. The kids are already in school, and honestly, it sounds like they’re fitting right in.

He’s clearly enjoying himself. Djokovic picked up his 101st career title in Athens last year, joined a local tennis club, and hasn’t missed a beat. At first, the move was just a trial run. Back in October, he told CNN Greece, “We are, as a family, trying to see how life goes here, the experience. It’s been less than two months. So we will see how it goes, but so far, as I said, it’s been a very positive experience.” But the trial period is over. After losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final, Djokovic went right back to Athens.

Now, at 38, he’s putting down even deeper roots. He recently met with Thanos Plevris, Greece’s Minister for Migration and Asylum. Plevris posted a photo of their meeting, writing, “It is an honour for us that he wishes to stay with his family in our country.”

Honestly, it’s no shock that Djokovic wants to stay. After his title run in Athens in 2025, he said the city already felt like home. When someone asked what it was like to lift the trophy, he just grinned and said, “Like at home. I love it! I want to thank everybody for coming out today and all week, supporting all the players and me. It's been amazing for everyone.”

There’s another side to this move. Djokovic left Serbia during a tense moment. After a tragic railway station collapse in Novi Sad that killed 16 people at the end of 2024, protests erupted against President Aleksandar Vucic. Djokovic publicly supported the students leading the protests, posting, “As someone who deeply believes in the power of youth and their desire for a better future, I believe it's important that their voices are heard. Serbia has enormous potential, and its educated youth is its greatest strength. What we all need is understanding and respect. With you, Novak.” He even dedicated a win at the 2025 Australian Open to a student injured during a protest and showed up at a Serbian basketball game wearing a hat that said, “Students are Champions.”

He’s never openly criticised Vucic, but before the move, word got out that Djokovic was looking into Greece’s Golden Visa program, which offers residency to non-EU citizens who invest in the country. Now, after his latest run at the Australian Open, it really looks like Djokovic and his family are staying put in Greece.

World number two Iga Swiatek and Australian Open champ Elena Rybakina both made early exits from the Qatar Open on February 12, falling in the quarter-finals to Maria Sakkari and Victoria Mboko.

Swiatek, the top seed and defending champ, started strong; she broke Sakkari twice in the first set and looked on track for another easy win. But Sakkari, who’s had a tough stretch lately, dug in. She fought back, grabbing a tense 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 win. Afterward, Sakkari admitted, “It’s been a while since I had a big win like today.” She used to be ranked as high as No. 3 in the world back in 2022 but has slipped all the way down to 52. “When you drop in the rankings and you’re not playing good tennis, you start doubting yourself. You think you’re never going to beat those players again,” she said. “So it’s a huge process you have to go through in your head that you can do it.”

Sakkari, 30, had beaten Swiatek three times earlier in their careers, but not since 2021. Swiatek had won their last four matches, including a straight-sets victory in Qatar last year. “Last year, in the second round here against her, I was not confident; I was not believing in myself, and this year it’s different. I feel a lot better,” Sakkari said. She’ll now play either Karolina Muchova or Anna Kalinskaya in the semi-finals. “I’ve missed that feeling of going deep into tournaments.”

Swiatek, who dominated this event in 2022, 2023, and 2024, looked ready to do it again. But after dropping the first set, Sakkari found something extra. She broke early in the second set, and even though Swiatek kept responding, Sakkari steadied herself, broke again, and took the set. For the first time in their seven matches, they went to a deciding set. It was back-and-forth—Swiatek saved a match point, but Sakkari served out the win, finally sealing it on her third chance. The match lasted just under two and a half hours.

Right after that, Victoria Mboko kept her hot streak going. She beat Rybakina 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in a match that was only six minutes shorter than the Sakkari-Swiatek battle. Mboko had already beaten Rybakina once this year, in the Montreal semi-finals, and she came out swinging again, breaking Rybakina’s serve three times in the first set. She dropped her own serve twice but still took the set. Rybakina bounced back to grab the second, but the 19-year-old Canadian had the edge in the third and closed it out 6-4.

Mboko, who lost to world number one Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne a few weeks ago, now faces Jelena Ostapenko in the Doha semis. Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champ and last year’s runner-up, made it through by beating Elisabetta Cocciaretto 7-5, 6-4.