Novak Djokovic finally captured the 100th title of his illustrious career on Saturday evening, defeating Hubert Hurkacz 5-7, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) to lift the trophy at the Geneva Open. In a week designed to sharpen his game ahead of Roland-Garros, the world No. 1 showed signs of the form that has made him the sport’s most decorated champion.
A special milestone, under special circumstances
Djokovic’s decision to accept a late wild card into Geneva came as a surprise to many, but his motivation was clear: regain confidence and match rhythm after a turbulent start to 2025. With just eight wins after the Australian Open (only 3 wins on clay) before this week, he looked for momentum and found it.
Throughout the tournament, the 24-time Grand Slam champion steadily raised his level. After navigating his first 2 rounds with efficiency, he was pushed to the brink in the semifinals by Norrie. Unable to convert a match point, Djokovic lost the second set before easily finishing with a 6-1 in just 30 minutes.
In Saturday’s final, Djokovic won 86% of points behind his first serve. The opening set was tightly contested, with Hurkacz converting his lone break point to edge it. The second set offered just one break opportunity, this time for Djokovic, but Hurkacz saved it with a big serve. In the tiebreak, however, Djokovic raised his level, dictating play with depth and precision, moving Hurkacz side to side and drawing key errors.
In the final set, it was the Pole who struck first, breaking early before both players held serve in a tense back-and-forth. But Djokovic, as resilient as ever, clawed his way back by converting his fourth break point out of five. Once again, the tiebreak proved decisive, a few costly errors from Hurkacz combined with Djokovic’s trademark intensity tipped the balance. And in the end, it was the Serb who sealed the match with his sixth ace.
”I’m just grateful to clinch the 100th here”
In his post-match press conference, Djokovic reflected on the significance of reaching triple digits in career titles:
“My team, thank you, not only for being with me in the good times, but also in the bad times. Only you know how difficult it is to sustain this level of craziness from me on the court. I want to thank you for earning, together with me, this victory number 100.”
He joins an elite club, becoming just the third player in the Open Era to win 100 or more titles after Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103). More remarkably, Djokovic has now won at least one title in 21 consecutive seasons on tour.
“I want to thank my wife and kids for coming for three days on their school break just to be with me. I love you, thank you very much for coming to see me, for my birthday, for coming to see the family I have in Geneva.”
Signs of readiness for Paris
While Djokovic downplayed his expectations earlier this year, this title run changes the narrative. Geneva may not offer the same pressure or field depth as a Slam, but the level of tennis he displayed in pressure moments shows that the competitive fire still burns.
His movement, often scrutinized this season, looked significantly sharper compared to his earlier outings in Monte-Carlo and Rome.
With Roland-Garros just days away (a first round against McDonald), Djokovic heads to Paris with renewed confidence, a historic title in hand, and a chance to chase more history, possibly a 25th Grand Slam title. For now, though, Geneva will go down as the week where the champion in him reawakened.