Novak Djokovic’s quest for a record 19th appearance at the ATP Finals was derailed when he fell to Jan‑Lennard Struff 6‑7(4‑7) 7‑5 7‑6(7‑5) at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, his first tournament in 15 years. The 39‑year‑old lost to Struff for the first time in nine meetings, a result that pushed him to 11th in the year‑end standings and left him outside the top 10 for the first time since 2018.
Djokovic admitted he felt “a little rusty” after a win over Frenchman Ugo Humbert earlier in the week, but he said he had to play his best to keep his hopes alive. “I knew I had to play my best tennis to have a chance. He beat me very, very easily the last eight times. So, I’m very, very happy and pleased with the performance,” he told reporters.
The result leaves the 24‑time Grand Slam winner 319 points behind the final qualifying spot held by Rafael Jodar, who sits ninth in the standings. Djokovic can still climb the rankings at the Paris Masters in November, but the loss means he must fight hard to reach the Turin final, where he hopes to overtake Roger Federer’s 18‑appearance record.
Other top players such as Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton have already secured places in the Turin event, while American Shelton also lost in Basel. Swiss wildcard Jerome Kym upset the top seed 6‑3 6‑7(4‑7) 7‑6(7‑1) in a surprising turn of events.
