Djokovic stumbles in Basel as Struff stages comeback

Basel, Switzerland experienced a dramatic turn of events in the ATP 500 tournament on Thursday as Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff staged a remarkable comeback against 39-year-old Novak Djokovic. The 24-time Grand Slam winner fell in the second round of the tournament, thus missing out on valuable points in the race to qualify for the ATP Finals in November.

The grueling match lasted a total of 2 hours and 35 minutes, with both players showcasing their resilience. Djokovic initially took the opening set in a tie-break, without dropping a single serve. However, Struff managed to equalize the score in the second set, after Djokovic lost his serve at 6-5. In the decisive third set, Struff secured his first career victory over Djokovic, despite the 39-year-old losing the tie-break. Struff's triumph came after eight previous defeats against Djokovic.

The ATP Finals in Turin in November are reserved for the top eight players in the race standings, excluding Jannik Sinner, who has withdrawn due to a knee injury. The current rankings are based on results achieved during the ongoing season. Djokovic, who is the seven-time ATP Finals champion, currently stands at 11th place in the race.

Despite his loss to Struff, Djokovic can take consolation from the elimination of ninth-ranked Spaniard Rafael Jodar, who was also removed from the tournament in the second round by Monaco's Valentin Vacherot. Meanwhile, France's Arthur Fils, ranked seventh in the race, defeated American Alex Michelsen in a closely-fought match.