Novak Djokovic defended by rival after being left in 'strange situation'

Lorenzo Musetti has defended Novak Djokovic following the Serb's late withdrawal from the ATP Finals. Djokovic qualified for the season-ending championships weeks ago but maintained that he had not committed to the tournament and only wanted to make a decision on his participation once the Hellenic Championship in Athens was over.

The Athens event finished on Saturday, one day before the ATP Finals got underway in Turin. Djokovic's participation was a hot topic, given that Musetti was fighting Felix Auger-Aliassime for the last direct spot in the draw, But the Italian believes Djokovic was well within his rights to wait until he was ready to make a call.

The eight players who have earned the most ranking points in a single season are granted a place at the ATP Finals. Ahead of the Hellenic Championships, Auger-Aliassime was eighth in the race, but Musetti could have overtaken him and qualified by winning the Athens title.

It went down to the wire - Musetti reached the final in Athens and ultimately lost to Djokovic in three sets, allowing Auger-Aliassime to qualify.

It needn't have mattered, however, as Djokovic withdrew from the ATP Finals less than an hour after his Hellenic Championship triumph, and Musetti took his place.

Had Djokovic made his decision earlier, the world No. 9 wouldn't have needed to play in Athens. But Musetti believes that the 24-time Major winner was left in a tricky situation himself.

"Well, I think Novak, he was completely in the rules of the ATP, of the tournament itself," the 23-year-old said after arriving in Turin to take Djokovic's place in the draw.

"Of course, I think the strange situation was that he was playing literally the week before the Masters. That could be a little bit strange for a player who is already qualified. But that's the only thing.

"Of course, when he told me at the net after the match that he was not coming, honestly we had a laugh about it. I was curious all week. I was curious if he was coming or not. Of course, I was trying to focus on myself. I think I made a good work at that, even if I didn't win the final."

The ATP Finals qualification rules are set to change from 2026 onwards. The cut-off for the race will come at the end of the Paris Masters.

It means that the field for the season-ending tournament will be decided with a week to spare, and any points earned at the smaller 250-point events played in the week before the ATP Finals will count towards the race for the following year instead.

Musetti will now turn his attention to his ATP Finals debut. The world No. 9 has a quick turnaround, as he faces Taylor Fritz on Monday. Musetti and Fritz are part of the Jimmy Connors Group, which also contains Carlos Alcaraz and Alex de Minaur.