Novak Djokovic to Make 2023 Grass Debut at Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic

Novak Djokovic will warm up for his Wimbledon title defense headlining a strong Hurlingham field.

World No. 1 Djokovic will join US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka and Olympic gold-medal champion Alexander Zverev in the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic staged on the historic grass courts of the Hurlingham Club in London.

The popular grass-court exhibition event is set for June 27-July 1st at the Hurlingham Club. 

In a high-quality Centre Court clash last July, defending Wimbledon champion Djokovic defused dangerous Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) to capture his seventh Wimbledon crown and 21st Grand Slam championship.

Next week, four-time defending Wimbledon champion Djokovic will play his first grass-court match since that Wimbledon triumph.

The reigning Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion joins previously announced World No. 2 Alcaraz, 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem, 2023 French Open finalist Casper Ruud and Cameron Norrie.

Launching the tournament, British No. 1 Cameron Norrie will face Frances Tiafoe for the first time since their match at the quarter-final of Indian Wells, where Tiafoe dispatched Norrie in straight sets. Tiafoe’s winning run on grass has led to his recent ranking of World No. 10 and fans can expect another exciting match between the two competitors.

On Wednesday, the 20-year-old Alcaraz plays Ruud in a rematch of the 2022 US Open final where the Spaniard won not only the match but his first major title and his debut as world No. 1.

Next Thursday, Djokovic will play Tiafoe in the final match of the Thursday session. The last time the two played was on British soil at the Laver Cup in 2022, with Djokovic coming out on top with a 6-1, 6-3 victory.

Each singles match will be best of three sets with a champion’s tie break (first to 10) at 1-1 in sets, while the doubles matches will be one pro set, first to 8, tiebreak at 7-7.

ATP Players Playing at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic include:

Novak Djokovic (Serbia) – World No. 1 in singles
Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) – World No. 2 in singles
Casper Ruud (Norway) – World No. 4 in singles
Holger Rune (Denmark) – World No. 6 in singles
Frances Tiafoe (USA) – World No. 10 in singles
Cameron Norrie (Great Britain) – World No. 13 in singles
Alexander Zverev (Germany) – World No. 22 in singles
Jiri Lehecka (Czech) – World No. 36 in singles
Luca Van Assche (France) – World No. 75 in singles
Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) – World No. 86 in singles
Dominic Thiem (Austria) – World No. 89 in singles


In addition to the ATP players, tennis legends also confirmed to play include crowd favourite Mansour Bahrami, Davis Cup winner Mark Philippoussis and 2006 Australian Open semi-finalist Marcos Baghdatis. Also gracing the court will be ‘X-Man’ Xavier Malisse, and Swedish champion Thomas Enqvist who won a total of 19 singles titles in his career.

Tennis Legends Playing at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic include:

Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus)
Mansour Bahrami (Iran)
Thomas Enqvist (Sweden)
Xavier Malisse (Belgium)
Mark Philippoussis (Australia)


“The Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic at the Hurlingham Club is one of my favorite weeks of the year. The energy is fantastic, and I feel so supported playing on the court,” Philippoussis said. “The combination of the legends double matches with the warmup ATP singles matches for the players ahead of Wimbledon – it is the perfect combination for an event.

“I remember playing there before Wimbledon and now that I’m back playing with the other legends, I can enjoy it even more.”

For those unable to get tickets, fans can head to the Marriott Bonvoy x Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic Summer Terrace at Kings Cross Station to watch a live stream of the matches on Thursday, June 29th and Friday, June 30th from 12 pm onward.

All matches will also be streamed on the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic website and Facebook page.