Novak Djokovic's hopes of a record 19th ATP Finals appearance suffered a setback after a surprise defeat to Jan-Lennard Struff at the Swiss Indoors in Basel on October 30, 2026.
Playing in Basel for the first time since 2011, the 39-year-old Serb lost 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) – his first loss to Struff in nine meetings.
Struff, ranked 27th, said he knew he had to go for it and was very happy with the performance.
The defeat leaves Djokovic 11th in the ATP Finals race, 319 points behind ninth-placed Rafael Jodar, who holds the final qualifying spot because world number one Jannik Sinner is injured and will not participate.
Djokovic can still improve his standing at the Paris Masters in November. He aims to surpass Roger Federer's record of 18 ATP Finals appearances and has won the event seven times.
Other top seeds Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Ben Shelton have already qualified for the Turin finals from November 15-22. Shelton also lost in Basel to Swiss wildcard Jerome Kym, ranked 222nd.
