How the ATP 250 event in Athens, Greece came about – World Tennis Magazine

When the dust settles on the first year of the Greek ATP 250 Championship in Athens, the story of how it came to be is almost as compelling as the tennis itself. Here’s a story about how Greece – after more than thirty years without a major men’s ATP tournament – ​​regained a place at the table.

1. A gap in the calendar, a city looking for a return

Greece has a rich sporting heritage, but men’s tennis at ATP level has been a long wait. The last time Athens hosted an ATP Tour event was the now defunct Athens International in 1994.

In recent years, however, Greece (and specifically the Attica region) has begun to focus more ambitiously on sports tourism and infrastructure as ways to broaden its appeal beyond the traditional summer holiday season.

2. A license moves: from Belgrade to Athens

The turning point came in August 2025 when the ATP Tour officially announced that the tournament license for what had been the Belgrade Open (an ATP 250 event in Serbia) would move to Athens.

Main factors:

• The tournament organizers in Belgrade (a team that had organized nine previous international tournaments) owned the license and chose to reschedule the event.
• Media reports suggest that Novak Djokovic’s family (his brother Djordje serves as tournament director) is involved in the decision-making.
• In Athens, stakeholders saw an opening: a major ATP tournament, global broadcast reach and the opportunity to take Greek sports and tourism to the next level.

3. Why Athens? Why now?

Various elements coordinated to make the move possible and on time:

a) Infrastructure and location

The event will be played on indoor hard courts at the Athens Olympic Athletics Center (OAKA) – specifically the “Telekom Center Athens” arena (the part of OAKA used for basketball and multi-purpose events).

In particular, the Attica Region has invested approximately €5.7 million in the renovation of the OAKA facility: improvements in seating, lighting, energy efficiency and general spectator comfort.

b) Strategic vision: Sports + Tourism

Greek tourism officials see the tournament as more than just sports: it is a way to attract visitors in November (outside peak times for Greek beach tourism), extend the season and position Athens/Attica as a center for sports tourism.

For example, the event will be broadcast to more than 130 countries, raising Athens’ global profile.

c) Untapped market and local momentum

Since there was no major ATP event in Greece (for over 30 years), the organizers and the ATP saw a new market. The local support (government, regional authorities, sports federation) was strong. As Djordje Djokovic said, the Greek market “was untouched for so many years.”

4. The announcement and build-up

At the end of October 2025, the official details emerged:

• Dates: November 1-8, 2025 in Athens.
• Name: “Vanda Pharmaceuticals Hellenic Championship ATP 250”.
• The organizers emphasized that this is a first edition, but with a longer-term intention: ‘here to stay’ was the term used.
• Tickets went on sale in mid-October.
• The player list promises to include top-50 players and big names.

5. In the trenches: why this matters for tennis in Greece

• For Greek players (and fans), this heralds the return of world-class men’s tennis on home soil.
• For the local sports ecosystem, this means jobs, a legacy of infrastructure and a stronger position in the international sports circuit.
• For the ATP and global tennis it means geographical diversification: Athens adds a southern European/Mediterranean flavour, a different climate and a new audience.

6. Challenges and opportunities for the future

Challenges

• Being a new event: building reputation, ensuring player engagement, recruiting sponsors and delivering seamless logistics in the first year.
• Ensuring local acceptance: filling seats, involving locals, integrating with Greek culture so it doesn’t feel like an imported event.
• Continuing the event beyond the first year: calendar competition, financial sustainability and audience retention.

Possibilities

• Building a legacy: If the tournament is successful, it could become a long-term stop on the tour and a springboard for more tennis in Greece (even a women’s tournament is proposed).
• Taking advantage of Athens’ unique hybrid identity: ancient history + modern urban environment = attractive to tourists who combine sport and culture.
• Expanding the season: attract more international fans who may travel to Athens for a week of tennis and exploration of the city and region.

7. Looking ahead: the story starts now

If all goes well, the 2025 edition of the Greek Championship will not just be a one-off novelty, but could mark a new chapter for Greek tennis and sports tourism. Athens will host the best players in the world, broadcast worldwide and present itself as a host city capable of hosting major events.

And for me, as I write this blog story, the magic lies in the convergence: moving licenses, infrastructure investments, tourism strategy, player power and filling a historical gap. The stage has been set. The first serve has been served. And Athens is back on the map of men’s professional tennis.

If you want, I can map out the timeline of the main events leading up to the tournament (with dates) and add some behind-the-scenes quotes and interviews from the organizers. Would you like that?