Novak Djokovic makes fun of Stefanos Tsitsipas' Dubai Tennis Championships title win with special message

Novak Djokovic made a cheeky comment about Stefanos Tsitsipas as he sent the Greek star best wishes on his first ATP 500 title win at the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships on Saturday. He defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3 with sheer domination to clinch the victory.

The 26-year-old played his third finals match at the tournament, with his last two appearances being in 2019 and 2020. He lost to Roger Federer in 2019, leading the Swiss to his 100th ATP title, which was followed by his defeat to the Serb the next year.

Novak Djokovic gave a glimpse of his humorous side as he poked fun at the Greek tennis star with his iteration of Vitas Gerulaitis' famed punchline Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row. He shared a post of Tsitsipas holding up the Dubai trophy on his Instagram stories as he wrote:

"No one beats @stefanostsitspas98 12x in a row on 500 tour level 🤣 Well done!"

Screenshot via @djokernole on Instagram

The tennis star was hell-bent on breaking his finals curse, and the third time proved to be a charm. With this victory, Tsitsipas will be making a re-entry into the Top 10 of the ATP singles rankings.

After an hour and 28-minute battle against the Canadian, Stefanos Tsitsipas expressed his delight on the win and looks to maintain his form for the rest of the season.

---

"It was just pure fighting" - Stefanos Tsitsipas braces himself after win at Dubai

Stefanos Tsitsipas after his Dubai win - Source: Getty

Stefanos Tsitsipas was overjoyed with his performance as he praised himself on his win against Auger-Aliassime at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships after a long wait. However, he claimed that his big break did not come easy as he had to put up a noteworthy fight.

At the post-match interview, the tennis star spoke about how he felt on the biggest outdoor hard-court win of his career.

“There is nothing that ensured the win today, it was just pure fighting. It’s a big relief that I’m able to hold that trophy after the third attempt. It’s something that I had in the back of my mind, and I’m happy to say I accomplished it,” said Stefanos Tsitsipas.

He also commended his opponent for giving him great competition:

“I had a great opponent on the other side of the net, I knew it was a difficult task. I’m just proud of the way I managed the pressure and was able to perform in those crucial moments,” Tsitsipas added via ATP.

Tsitsipas will be back in action next at the American leg of the season at Indian Wells.