Shock Basel loss dents Djokovic’s ATP Finals hopes

Novak Djokovic's attempt to secure his 19th appearance at the ATP Finals has been hampered by a shock loss in the Swiss Indoors in Basel. The 39-year-old, who returned to the tournament after a 15-year absence, fell 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 7-6 (7-5) to Jan-Lennard Struff, who has now beaten him nine times. Djokovic, ranked 27th in the world, expressed satisfaction with his performance, acknowledging that he needed to play his best to have any chance against Struff, who had dominated in their previous encounters.

The world number 27 now stands 11th in the standings, leaving him outside the top 10 for the first time since 2018. With Rafael Jodar securing the final qualifying spot in ninth place, Djokovic trails by 319 points. However, he has the opportunity to climb the rankings at the Paris Masters in November. Djokovic aims to surpass Roger Federer with his 19th appearance in the Turin final, having won the event seven times before.

The top four seeds for the ATP Finals – Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Ben Shelton – have confirmed their spots, while Shelton also lost in Basel.