Djokovic beats Hurkacz to clinch record 100th career singles title

Novak Djokovic captured his 100th tour-level trophy on Saturday at the Gonet Geneva Open, where he dug deep in an absorbing championship match.

The former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings rallied for a 5-7, 7-6(2), 7-6(2) victory over sixth seed Hubert Hurkacz to triumph at the clay-court ATP 250. Djokovic rallied from 2-4 in the deciding set before sealing victory after three hours, five minutes, the longest match of this year’s tournament.

“I had to work for it, that’s for sure. Hubi was probably closer to victory [in] the entire match than I was,” Djokovic said. “I had some chances in the first set to break his serve, then had a bad game which ended up with the double fault on set point.

“I was just trying to hang in there, I don’t know how I broke his serve. He probably broke himself in the third, when he was 4-3 up, but this is what happens at the highest level. Very few points decide the winner. Incredible match, 7-6 in the third with a full stadium, beautiful atmosphere. I’m just grateful to clinch the 100th here.”

With his 100th tour-level trophy, Djokovic joined Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) as the only men in the Open Era to hit the triple-digit mark. The Serbian claimed his first in Amersfoort in 2006, when he defeated Hurkacz’s current coach Nicolas Massu in the final.

By securing his first title since winning the gold medal at last year’s Paris Olympics, Djokovic became the first man in the Open Era to lift a trophy in 20 different seasons. The 38-year-old is the oldest champion in Geneva tournament history.