Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Basel Open on Thursday evening after suffering a shocking defeat to Jan-Lennard Struff.
Struff came back from a set down to beat the 24-time Grand Slam champion and earn one of the biggest wins of his career, 6-7, 7-5, 7-6. Having lost each of the first eight meetings in their head-to-head and winning just one set across those clashes, the German finally got over the line against Djokovic, serving up 27 aces to seal the victory.
Jan-Lennard Struff reacts after beating Novak Djokovic
Speaking in his on-court interview, Struff said: “I knew needed to go for it. There was only one way to play it. So, I was very, very happy. The last serve went in the corner like many balls today. I knew I had to play my best tennis to have a chance.
“Last eight times he beat me very, very easily. So, very, very happy and pleased with the performance. We’re very close to Germany here and I think it was an amazing atmosphere to play in. Novak had a lot of supporters as well but I heard a lot of ‘Struff’ shouts as well so I’m very happy. I really appreciate the support.”
Jannik Sinner is set to hire Magnus Norman as his next coach – is this the right move? 🤔
Who would you have hired to be Sinner’s next coach?
Djokovic’s defeat was a huge blow for him in his pursuit of qualifying for the ATP Finals, which he has managed to do every year since 2017. The Serb has qualified for the year-end tournament 18 times in his career, which is a joint all-time record with his longtime rival Roger Federer.
Djokovic is currently 10th in the race to the ATP Finals in Turin, with a tally of 2,890 live points to his name. Alex de Minaur is ahead of him in ninth with 2,930 points, while 20-year-old Rafael Jodar occupies the eighth and final spot for qualification with 3,184 points.
The last chance for Djokovic to qualify will come at the Paris Masters, where he will not receive a bye into the second round with his seeding. Djokovic will enter Paris 294 points behind Jodar, but could be even further behind De Minaur than he currently is, as the Australian’s campaign in Vienna has not finished.
As it stands, only three players have officially qualified for the ATP Finals: Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton. Daniil Medvedev and Flavio Cobolli are close to punching their tickets to Turin.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
Add to Preferred Sources 