Novak Djokovic beats Alejandro Tabilo for the first time to reach quarter-finals in Athens
Tabilo, from Chile, had beaten the Serb in their two previous encounters
Novak Djokovic has ended his Alejandro Tabilo hoodoo to reach the quarter finals of the Hellenic Championship in Athens.
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Tabilo, ranked 89th in the world, had beaten the Serb in their previous two meetings which came on clay in Rome last year and Monte Carlo in April.
But top seed Djokovic served 13 aces and faced just one break point on his way to a 7-6 (3) 6-1 victory on the hard courts of the Greek capital to reach the 225th tour-level quarter-final of his career.
The 24-time grand slam singles champion told the ATP website: "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."
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A tight tussle in the opening set saw only two break points – both in Tabilo’s opening service game – before Djokovic dominated the tie-break.
The 38-year-old clinched the first break of the contest in the fourth game of the second set, which proved to be the decisive moment as Djokovic clinched victory in one hour and 39 minutes.
Djokovic recently opened up on moving his family to Greece.
He told media outlet SDNA: "To be honest, I didn't plan it far in advance.
"In fact, many things have happened in the last two years, and we have made new decisions, both personally and professionally. But that's life.
"We have two young children, and we try to adapt and find the best environment for them.
"That is our priority: for them to grow in an environment that is as conducive as possible to their psychological, physical, and emotional well-being. Ultimately, so that we can have more time together as a family."