Novak Djokovic’s bid to secure a record 19th appearance at the ATP Finals suffered a major setback after the Serbian was knocked out of the Swiss Indoors in Basel by Jan-Lennard Struff in a thrilling three-set encounter.
Struff defeated the 24-time Grand Slam champion 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), registering his first victory over Djokovic in nine meetings. The German, currently ranked 27th in the world, produced an impressive performance to claim the biggest win of his career against the Serbian.
Speaking after the match, Struff said he knew he had to take an aggressive approach and deliver his best tennis to stand a chance against Djokovic. He admitted that the previous eight encounters had gone heavily in the Serbian’s favour.
Djokovic, who was competing in Basel for the first time in 15 years, had entered the tournament after defeating Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the opening round. However, the defeat has complicated his chances of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin.
The top eight players in the annual ATP Race qualify for the tournament. Djokovic currently sits 11th in the standings, 319 points behind Spain’s Rafael Jodar, who occupies the final qualifying position among eligible players.
With the Paris Masters scheduled for November, Djokovic still has an opportunity to collect crucial ranking points and improve his position. The Serbian is aiming to surpass Roger Federer’s record of 18 appearances at the ATP Finals.
Djokovic has won the prestigious year-ending tournament a record seven times but missed the previous two editions due to injury. His last failure to qualify on merit came in 2017.
Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton have secured their places at the tournament, scheduled to take place in Turin from November 15 to 22. Shelton, however, also suffered an unexpected defeat in Basel, losing to Swiss wildcard Jerome Kym, ranked 222nd in the world.
