Djokovic Loses to Struff in Basel, Making His ATP Finals Path Harder

Novak Djokovic lost to German opponent Jan Lennard Struff in three sets in the second round of the Swiss Indoors. The 39-year-old Serbian, playing in Basel for the first time in 15 years, lost the match and missed an important opportunity in the race for the ATP Finals. It was his first defeat in nine matches against Struff.

Struff finished the match with his 27th ace. The German said he had to play the right way and that he produced his best tennis. He also pointed out that Djokovic had beaten him easily in their last eight meetings.

With this result, Djokovic fell to 11th in the qualifying race. The gap between him and Rafael Jodar, who is ninth, is 319 points. Jannik Sinner will not take part in Turin due to injury, so his spot remains open to the last qualifying player. Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton have already qualified for the tournament, which begins on November 15.

Djokovic will head to the Paris Masters, held from November 2 to 8, as a seven-time champion, a record. He did not say whether he would play in Stockholm, the ATP 250 event in Sweden that follows the Paris tournament. The season has been physically demanding, but his run to the Australian Open final, his Wimbledon semifinal and his Beijing title stood out as highlights.

Before Basel, Djokovic described his Beijing victory as the best week of the year. He said young players cannot easily get past him and that they have to earn every win. Because of his long career and his resilience, no one has completely ruled out the possibility of him still reaching Turin.