Seven-time Paris Champion is in the city, and before the tournament begins, Novak Djokovic had to answer tough questions regarding his relationship with his country. In a pre-tournament press conference on Monday, a reporter who had been to Serbia recently and from his experience there, he felt that Serbia’s most decorated athlete had been treated unfairly by the higher figures in the country. Djokovic treaded the question with ease. 

“I’m not going to discuss or comment on the past,” he said. “You know, past is past, and hopefully this is a fresh start for the country. Yes, I am patriotic, but I’ve always represented my people and not the government. There’s a big difference in that.” 

He has been treated as a national symbol in his own country for 20 years, and now he has just released the flag from the office. He finished the answer by welcoming what has happened in Serbia. 

“I’m happy with these changes and hopefully things will be great and prosperous for our country in the future,” Djokovic added. 

The changes are substantial. The student-led Student List picked up a little over 53 percent of the votes and 140 of the 250 seats in a snap parliamentary election on October 25, while the coalition behind Aleksandar Vucic got about 39 percent and 104 seats. Vucic, who had been prime minister or president since 2014, conceded. The official result is yet to be declared, and the new parliament has 30 days to form a government, which can be extended to 90 days.

The protesters who sparked the movement were the victims of a collapsed concrete canopy over a renovated railway station in Novi Sad in November 2024, which resulted in 16 deaths. In December 2024, Djokovic posted in support of the students, writing that he valued “the power of young people and their desire for a better future.” Pro-government media reacted negatively to the response, calling the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist a “disgrace” and a “false patriot”.

In September 2025, he and his wife Jelena moved their family from Belgrade to Athens. Djokovic never lived in Serbia completely after turning professional in 2003, Monte Carlo was his primary residence till 2020. He officially moved his primary base to Marbella during the pandemic and lived in a Moroccan-style mansion with a training ground till 2025. However, throughout his career he had maintained a second base in his hometown, where he spent chunks of his off-season in his penthouse in Belgrade. 

A month later, he shifted to Greece, the Serbia Open in Belgrade was gone from the calendar, replaced by the Hellenic Championship in Athens, an ATP 250 run by the Djokovic family with his brother Djordje as tournament director.

Djokovic won the tournament in its very first edition on November 8, 2025, defeating Lorenzo Musetti in a gruelling three-hour final to win his 101st ATP tour title. 

Paris, Turin and the question Djokovic has not answered

He did not state whether he will return, and he was not even asked directly. Journalists in Serbia have been openly talking about it since the result, describing his time in Greece as an exile that could come to an end. Djokovic spoke only about the country’s future, and about hoping it prospers, which is a long way from announcing a return. 

Currently, he is in Paris and seeded 10th for the last Masters 1000 of the season, which leaves him without a bye in a draw where only the top eight get one. He opens against reigning Basel champion Valentin Vacherot, with Alex de Minaur a likely third-round opponent and world No. 1 Alexander Zverev a possible quarterfinal. 

He arrives having lost to Jan-Lennard Struff in Basel last week, his first defeat to the German in their nine career meetings. Paris has long been his fortress – his seven titles here are more than any player has won in the tournament’s 40 years. 

The bigger picture includes the ATP Finals race to Turin. Djokovic has said he wants to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, which begin on November 15, and he went into this week outside the qualifying places in the Race to Turin. 

With Jannik Sinner out of the season and the cut extended to the ninth position, Paris is the final fixture on the calendar that has the power to change positions. The 39-year-old is still there in contention when the draw opens up, as he won the China Open last month for a record 7th Beijing title and the 102nd tour-level trophy of his career. 

However, the draw is tough to navigate, and even after winning a record eighth title in Paris, he would not guarantee qualification with 3890 points, as the players above him, Frances Tiafoe, Rafael Jodar, and Alex de Minaur, have better chances than he does. If he does not qualify, it would be only the second time in his career that he has failed to cross the mark.

It happened in 2017, when he suffered an elbow injury at Wimbledon. Before that, he had qualified for 10 consecutive seasons from 2007 to 2016 and then again from 2018 to 2025, though he voluntarily chose to withdraw from the last two seasons due to body concerns. This means the last time he played the event, he won the tournament in 2023, defeating Jannik Sinner in straight sets in the finals to win his record seventh title and become the oldest man to do so at the age of 36.

Only four players have mathematically qualified for the finals: world No. 1 Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Ben Shelton. All the other players are still fighting to defend their spots.

The 39-year-old will be looking for redemption this week in Paris. Vacherot, ranked outside the top 200 in 2025, defeated Djokovic in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters in straight sets to reach the finals and eventually won the tournament. The Monegasque leads the head-to-head, 1-0, against the 24-time Grand Slam champion, and he will be determined to equal that.