Novak Djokovic kept his qualification hopes for the season-ending ATP Finals on track after a resilient three-set performance in Basel on Wednesday. The 39-year-old tennis star, making his first appearance in the city since 2011, dropped the opening set against French left-hander Ugo Humbert before surging back to claim a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory. I was under attack from the very first point.
Reflecting on the intensity of the opening round, Djokovic noted that he was under pressure from the start. He described the encounter as a super tight match that required him to weather a storm before finding his rhythm in the second set. The 24-time Grand Slam champion admitted that adjusting to his opponent’s tempo proved challenging, but he felt more comfortable as the match progressed, eventually finding the necessary solutions to advance. I succeeded in managing to find the solutions in a tough match today.
The Serbian currently sits 11th in the Race to Turin standings and accepted a wild card for the Swiss event following an early exit at the Shanghai Masters. His campaign to reach the November 15-22 tournament for a record 19th time was bolstered earlier this month by his 102nd career title at the China Open in Beijing. With Jannik Sinner withdrawing due to a knee injury, the race for the top eight spots remains critical. Although Jannik Sinner has already pulled out due to a knee problem, only the top eight players qualify for the November 15-22 showpiece.
Looking ahead, the fourth-seeded Djokovic is set to face Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in the next round. History favors the former world number one, who currently holds an unblemished 8-0 record against the German. Despite his success in the tournament, Djokovic has not participated in the last two editions of the ATP Finals due to injury.
