Djokovic’s Basel Loss Leaves Him 11th in ATP Finals Race

Novak Djokovic’s defeat by Jan-Lennard Struff at the Swiss Indoors in Basel left him 11th in the ATP Race, with the Paris Masters his next reported opportunity to earn points toward qualification for the ATP Finals. Struff beat Djokovic in three sets in the second round on Thursday, October 29. The loss ended Djokovic’s run of eight consecutive wins over the German and came as he sought to improve his position in the race for the eight-player season-ending tournament in Turin. After the match, Djokovic was 319 points behind Rafael Jodar, who occupied ninth place, the final qualifying position under the standings described after Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from the Turin event. Djokovic had 2,890 points, while Jodar had 3,209. The gap leaves Djokovic needing strong results in his remaining opportunities, but the available accounts do not establish that qualification is out of reach. Struff said he knew he needed to play his best tennis to have a chance and was pleased with his performance. He won the match with his 27th ace. One match account reported that Djokovic did not break Struff’s serve in 18 return games, while Struff saved all six break points he faced. Djokovic’s next...