2025 Hellenic Championship Preview and Free Picks

Last Updated on Outubro 31, 2025 1:20 pm by Erwin Noguera

Tennis is making a comeback to Athens, Greece, after a hiatus of more than 30 years. In 2025, the first edition of the Hellenic Championship, an ATP 250 tournament, will take place from November 2 to 8. This tournament will replace the Belgrade Open.

The tournament will be played on indoor hard courts at the Telekom Center Athens, a multi-purpose venue located in the Marousi suburb of the city, which was used during the 2004 Summer Olympics.

It’s worth remembering that the Belgrade Open is owned by Novak Djokovic’s family, who acquired the rights in 2008 to bring tennis to his home country. However, due to Nole’s disputes with the Serbian government, he decided to move his residence to Greece.

2025 Hellenic Championship Info

2025 Hellenic Championship Top Contenders

Without a doubt, the top contender for the first edition of this tournament is Novak Djokovic. At 38 years old, the Serbian continues to chase history and add to his legacy. Earlier this year, he claimed his 100th ATP title by winning in Switzerland, becoming only the third player in the Open Era to reach that milestone—and the only one in history to win an ATP title in 20 consecutive seasons.

While no one questions Djokovic’s immense talent, it’s clear that age is beginning to take its toll. The Balkan star usually starts tournaments strong, but as the days go by, he looks increasingly fatigued, his performance dips—or worse, he picks up injuries. He’s coming off a semifinal loss to Valentin Vacherot at the Shanghai Masters 1000 and two exhibition defeats in Riyadh against Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz.

Djokovic may be the main favorite, but the crowd’s favorite is Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek may not be at his best due to injuries, but playing at home gives him an extra boost of motivation.

The 27-year-old recently played an exhibition match against Jannik Sinner two weeks ago, losing in straight sets. Earlier, in September, he was unable to help Greece in the Davis Cup tie against Brazil, falling to Joao Fonseca. Throughout 2025, he’s had some strong performances, but injuries have repeatedly forced him to withdraw or drastically affected his level of play.

Rounding out the podium is Luciano Darderi. The Italian-Argentine, ranked No. 27 in the world, has had an excellent season, winning three ATP 250 titles—adding to one he claimed in 2024. All four of his titles have come on clay.

His performance at the Paris Masters 1000 wasn’t great, as he was eliminated in the first round after a double 7-6 loss, and he’s currently on a four-match losing streak, all in October. His last victory came against Chinese player Yunchaokete Bu at the Shanghai Masters 1000 on October 4. On indoor hard courts, he’s played three matches this year and lost all of them, and last year he only won one of five.

2025 Hellenic Championship Top Contenders

Another player who could join the group of contenders is Brandon Nakashima. The 24-year-old American won the ATP 250 title in San Diego in 2022, played on hard court, and has reached two other ATP 250 finals on the same surface—so he’s very comfortable playing on it. He’s coming off a first-round loss at the Paris Masters 1000 and has a record of 14 wins in 26 indoor hard-court matches over the past two years.

Australian Alexander Popyrin is one of the most accomplished players set to compete in the tournament, with three career titles. The 26-year-old’s most recent came at the 2024 Canadian Masters 1000, played on a hard court. His first title was at the ATP 250 in Singapore in 2021, an indoor hard-court event, where he defeated Alexander Bublik in three sets. Coincidentally, he’s coming off a loss to the Kazakh player in Paris.

Lastly, we have to include veteran Stanislas Wawrinka. At 40 years old, he’s still competing, mainly in Challenger events and occasionally when granted main-draw invitations—as is the case here. Of course, ‘Stan The Man’ is no longer the same player who once reached world No. 3, but in September, he made it to the final of a Challenger 100 in Rennes, played on an indoor hard court. This year, he has reached two finals and two additional semifinals.

2025 Hellenic Championship Top Contenders

Bolsa de prêmios

The total prize money of the Hellenic Championship is $766,715. The champion will win $116,690 and 250 ATP points, while the runner-up will win $68,035 and 165 points.