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'At home' Djokovic makes winning return in Athens / Photo: © AFP/File
'At home' Djokovic makes winning return in Athens
Novak Djokovic returned after three weeks out of action to ease past Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets at the Athens ATP tournament on Tuesday.
Top seed Djokovic, the recipient of a first-round bye at the indoor hard-court tournament, won through 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 against his 89th-ranked opponent in the round of 16.
Djokovic, 38, had lost his previous two meetings against Tabilo, a decade younger, on clay in Rome last year and Monte Carlo this season.
"Playing against Tabilo, who I had never won against, I was more under tension before the match than some other matches and I really tried to draw the energy from the crowd," Djokovic said.
"It feels really at home, playing in Athens,” continued the 24-times Grand Slam winner who has recently moved to Athens.
"A few months ago when I came here with my family, I was very excited because I have always loved Greece.
"Serbians love Greece, for sure. Historically, culturally, and religiously, we have a lot of things connecting us.
"Athens is in my heart, no question about it."
The world number five, whose presence at the season-ending WTA finals in Turin was confirmed on Monday, took the measure of the Chilean in the opening set tiebreak and broke twice in the second set to reach his 225th tour-level quarter-final.
He will next play either Portugal's Nuno Borges or American qualifier Eliot Spizzirri for a place in the semi-finals.
After his defeat in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters 1000 against Valentin Vacherot on October 11, he skipped the Paris Masters, which ended on Sunday.
M.Powell--SFF
