Novak Djokovic faces a battle to qualify for the ATP Finals after losing to Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round of the Swiss Indoors in Basel on Thursday.
The Serbian lost 6-7(4) 7-5 7-6(5) to the German veteran. The defeat ended his Basel campaign and dealt a blow to his hopes of reaching the season-ending tournament in Turin.
It was also Djokovic’s first loss to Struff in nine meetings. The German sealed the victory with his 27th ace of the match.
“I knew I needed to go for it. There was only one way to play it. So I was very happy,” Struff said.
“The last serve went into the corner like many balls today. I knew I had to play my best tennis to have a chance. The last eight times, he beat me very easily. So I’m very pleased with the performance.”
Djokovic faces uphill task in ATP Finals race
The result leaves Djokovic 11th in the ATP Finals qualification race. He is 319 points behind ninth-placed Rafael Jodar, who currently occupies the final qualifying spot following injured Jannik Sinner’s absence from the tournament.
Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton have already secured their places. The competition begins on November 15.
Djokovic’s next chance to earn points comes at the Paris Masters, which runs from November 2 to 8. He is a record seven-time champion at the tournament.
The Serbian has not confirmed whether he would enter the Stockholm ATP 250 event afterwards if he still needs points to qualify.
Djokovic remains determined despite tough season
The 24-time Grand Slam champion missed the last two editions of the ATP Finals because of injuries. However, he had indicated his intention to return this year if he qualifies.
Despite physical struggles, Djokovic has enjoyed some notable results this season. He reached the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semi-finals. He also won the title in Beijing.
“I won the title in Beijing a few weeks ago, which was definitely my best week this year apart from the Grand Slam final in Australia,” Djokovic told reporters before the Basel tournament.
“It’s been a year with a lot of struggles, particularly physically, but I’m still here and as competitive as anybody. If somebody beats me, well done, good job, but I’m definitely going to fight and not give these youngsters too easy a stroll on court. They have to earn their victories.”
He added: “That’s also what motivates me: seeing how I can match up with players 15-plus years younger than me. It’s been quite an interesting process to experience.”
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