“Guess who’s back? After three participations from 2009 to 2011 (…) the man with 24 Grand Slam titles returns to Basel for the fourth time,” the organizers wrote on Instagram ten days before the start of the tournament (October 26-November 1).
Winner of his 102nd title in early October at the ATP 500 in Beijing, Novak Djokovic (39) was then eliminated as soon as he entered the competition at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai. Seven-time winner of the Masters, the native of Belgrade slipped to 11th place on Friday in the Race, the ranking established on the results of the season, which is used to determine the eight qualifiers.
After his defeat in Shanghai, Djokovic suggested that he would only play the Masters 1000 in Paris (November 2-8) in the coming weeks. He was also scheduled to participate from October 21 to 24 in the Six Kings Slam, a lucrative exhibition organized in Saudi Arabia, but it was postponed to the end of December following the deadly attacks by the Houthis in Yemen.
Thanks to their journey in Shanghai, the Spaniard Rafael Jodar (semi-finalist) and the Australian Alex de Minaur (beaten Thursday in the quarter-finals) overtook Djokovic in the Race.
Only the German Alexander Zverev and the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz are currently qualified for the Masters. World No.1 Jannik Sinner, also qualified but injured in his right knee, has withdrawn until the end of the season, and six tickets therefore remain to be filled.
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