After five years of living in Marbella, southern Spain, Novak Djokovic has shifted east, officially making a move to Greece as a high-visibility recipient of the Greek Golden Visa.
Alexander Risvas of Risvas & Associates Law Firm confirms that the tennis star has received a golden visa after purchasing a residence in the southern coastal suburbs of Athens for over €800,000 (though likely multiple times that amount), meeting the minimum investment threshold under the updated Greek residence legislation.
Last week, Djokovic, 38, won his 101st career title at the newly christened Hellenic Championship in Athens.
During the event, he spoke warmly about Greece and its ties to Serbia. “I feel really at home playing in Athens,” he said.
“A few months ago, when I came here with my family, I was very excited because I have always loved Greece,” he said, confirming reports of his move to Athens last summer.
What’s Behind Djokovic’s Move to Greece?
Media reports suggest that his children’s education may have influenced his decision to move to Greece. Stefan (11) and Tara (8) have been enrolled at St Lawrence College, a 20-acre British school in Athens with on-campus outdoor tennis courts, according to the Telegraph.
Also, the Belgrade Open, a tournament owned and managed by Djokovic’s brother, was cancelled in 2025, relocated from Serbia to Greece, and reintroduced as the aforementioned Hellenic Championship, further indicating that his center of gravity is shifting to Athens.
Risvas noted the significance of the move for Greece’s golden visa program, saying that such a “high-profile move” underscores the appeal of the Greek golden visa program, adding that this is a testament to Greece’s attractiveness for its excellent quality of life and education opportunities, “not only for fiscal considerations.”
Yet it wouldn’t be surprising if fiscal considerations also played a role, as Djokovic would likely qualify for Greece’s non-dom flat tax regime, which allows newcomers to pay a fixed €100,000 per year on worldwide income (plus €20,000 per family member) for up to 15 years.
Participants are not required to declare foreign income, and the flat levy replaces progressive rates that would otherwise reach 44%. Djokovic is among the world’s highest-paid tennis players, making nearly US$30 million last year, according to Forbes.
He is also men’s tennis’ most decorated champion, holding a record 24 major singles titles, 40 Masters crowns, seven year-end championships, and 101 ATP singles trophies.
Djokovic spent a record 428 weeks at No. 1 and finished year-end No. 1 a record eight times; numbers that may explain why changes in his base of operations draw attention.
Monaco to Athens Via Marbella
Greece does not mark Djokovic’s first long-term residency outside Serbia. In 2020, after winning the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the Marbella-based star confirmed he had received the UAE’s 10-year Golden Visa.
At the time, he called it “an honour,” noting his longstanding relationship with Dubai’s leadership and the city’s role in his training routine, describing it as his second home. Dubai has served as a seasonal base for his preseason training, and an arena where he has collected multiple titles.
But his principal place of residence remained in Marbella, Spain, where he had relocated in 2020, shortly before the pandemic. This was after he spent roughly 15 years based in Monte Carlo, where he purchased a home soon after turning pro in the mid-2000s.
He continues to keep his Monaco property, which the Architectural Digest’s 2024 profile of his real estate portfolio described as an ultra-private hillside residence overlooking the Mediterranean. He has also acquired other luxury real estate over the years, including apartments in New York’s SoHo and a penthouse in Belgrade.
In 2020, he purchased a €10 million Moroccan-style mansion in Marbella, where his family has resided ever since, before their recent move to Greece.
