Novak Djokovic wins his 100th career title with exciting win over Hurkacz in Geneva Open

 

Novak Djokovic reached another historic milestone on Saturday, capturing his 100th career singles title with a hard-fought victory over Hubert Hurkacz in the Geneva Open final. Battling for over three hours, Djokovic came from behind to win 5-7, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2), finally achieving the long-awaited century after two previous failed attempts since his 99th title nine months ago at the Paris Olympics.

This triumph places Djokovic among an elite group of tennis legends — only Jimmy Connors (109 titles) and Roger Federer (103) have also crossed the 100-title mark in the Open era.

What made this win even more meaningful was its location: Geneva, a city with deep family ties for Djokovic. Celebrating his 38th birthday just two days earlier, the Serbian star was surrounded by his wife and children, who joined him in Switzerland after skipping a day of school — a fact Djokovic mentioned with a smile. He also admitted that the opportunity to play close to family was one of the reasons he accepted a late wild-card entry into the event, which serves as a final clay-court tune-up before the French Open.

The match itself was a tense battle. In the early stages of the match, Djokovic had multiple break-point opportunities in both the first and second sets but failed to capitalize. At 2-2 in the first set, Hurkacz fended off two consecutive break points, firing a strong service winner to escape trouble. Later, with just a single break-point chance of his own, Hurkacz seized the moment — Djokovic double-faulted, handing over the set.

The second set opened with more frustration for Djokovic as Hurkacz once again shut down a break-point opportunity, this time with a sharp overhead volley at the net. However, when the set reached a tiebreak, Djokovic elevated his level, dominating the points to push the match into a deciding third set.

Early in that final set, Hurkacz struck again, breaking Djokovic’s serve right away. The break came on an unlucky play for Djokovic, when a ball stayed unusually low and skidded under his racket. Hurkacz then secured the lead after Djokovic missed a forehand, sending the ball long.

Djokovic finally broke Hurkacz’s serve for the first time in the deciding set, trailing 4-3, when he capitalized on a break point with a sharp forehand cross-court winner. He sealed the victory with an ace down the middle, completing a determined comeback in a match where, by his own admission, Hurkacz had been the more dominant player for much of the contest.

“Hubert was probably closer to winning the whole match,” Djokovic said afterward. “I honestly don’t know how I managed to break his serve.”

Remarkably, Djokovic has now won titles across 20 different seasons — a record in the Open era. His journey from his first singles title in 2006 on the clay courts of Amersfoort, Netherlands (against Nicolás Massú, who now coaches Hurkacz), to this latest triumph has been one of sustained excellence.

During the trophy ceremony, Hurkacz paid tribute to his opponent: “It’s truly inspiring to watch how you carry yourself on and off the court. What you’ve accomplished is just incredible.”

The celebration in Geneva was marked by golden balloons spelling out “1-0-0” as Djokovic lifted the trophy — a moment of redemption after tough losses in recent months, including finals defeats in Shanghai and Miami.

Arriving in Geneva, Djokovic was seeking more than just match practice. He had struggled with early exits in Monte Carlo and Madrid, and this title marks an important confidence boost ahead of Roland Garros. Though he missed earlier break-point chances in the match, Djokovic’s perseverance paid off — a hallmark of his storied career.