Struff stuns Djokovic in Basel, denting bid for 19th ATP Finals appearance

Novak Djokovic's bid for a record 19th appearance at the ATP Finals was dented when he was upset by Jan-Lennard Struff 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 7-6 (7-5) at the Swiss Indoors in Basel on 30 October 2026, the first time Struff has beaten Djokovic in nine meetings.

Djokovic was playing in Basel for the first time since 2011 and is 39 years old. After the match the world number 27 said, "I knew I needed to go for it. There was only one way to play it. So, I was very, very happy," said the world number 27. He added, "I knew I had to play my best tennis to have a chance. The last eight times he beat me very, very easily. So, I'm very, very happy and pleased with the performance."

The defeat leaves Djokovic 11th in the ATP standings. Djokovic is the men's game's record 24-time Grand Slam winner and admitted he expected to feel "a little rusty" after his win against Frenchman Ugo Humbert on Wednesday. He is outside the top 10 for the first time since 2018.

Rafael Jodar holds the final qualifying spot in ninth place because number one Jannik Sinner is injured and will not take part. Djokovic is 319 points behind Jodar.

Djokovic is aiming to move ahead of Roger Federer with his 19th appearance at the finals in Turin. He has won the event a record seven times and has missed the past two editions with injury. The last time he failed to qualify on merit was in 2017, when his season was affected by injury.

Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton have their places confirmed for the showpiece in Italy. American Shelton also surprisingly lost in Basel. The top seed lost 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-1) to Swiss wildcard Jerome Kym, who is ranked 222nd in the world.

Djokovic has the opportunity at the Paris Masters in November to move up the rankings. The ATP Finals in Turin are scheduled from 15-22 November.