Novak Djokovic fell to Struff in Basel and squandered a chance to close in on Roger Federer

Novak Djokovic’s return to the Swiss Indoors Basel ended in disappointment as the Serb suffered a dramatic second-round defeat to Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff on Thursday. The 39-year-old lost 6-7 (4), 7-5, 7-6 (5) in a contest lasting two hours and 36 minutes, missing out on the opportunity to add another title to his remarkable collection.

Defeat also means Djokovic will have to wait to close the gap on Roger Federer’s total of 103 career titles. The 24-time Grand Slam champion claimed his 102nd tournament-level trophy at the China Open in Beijing earlier this month. Only Federer with 103 and Jimmy Connors, who holds the all-time record with 109, have won more singles titles in men’s tennis.

It has been added layers of history to Djokovic’s campaign in Basel. He returned to the tournament for the first time since 2011, winning the title in 2009 when he defeated Federer in the final. Federer, who grew up in Basel and lifted the trophy a record 10 times, beat Djokovic in the final in 2010. The Serb also reached the semi-finals in 2011.

Struff, ranked 47th in the world, produced an impressive performance to knock out the fourth player. Djokovic took the opening set in a tie-break, but the German struggled to level after converting his first break point opportunity in the second set. The decider went to another tie-break where Struff held his nerve before sealing the win with his 27th ace, leaving Djokovic with no chance of a comeback.

DJOKOVIC’S ATP FINAL HOPE WILL BE HURT

The departure from Basel is a significant setback in Djokovic’s bid to qualify for the final ATP Finals in Turin. He had the opportunity to gain important points in the rankings thanks to the title, especially after an earlier defeat of Rafael Jodar opened the way to the qualifying positions. The loss leaves Djokovic 319 points behind the Spaniard, with the Paris Masters the last tournament before the ATP Finals.

The Rolex Paris Masters, an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, is scheduled to take place from November 2-8. Djokovic will return to the tournament after a three-year absence, having won the title a record six times. A strong run in Paris could prove crucial to his hopes of securing a place in Turin.

Meanwhile, top seed Ben Shelton also suffered a shock exit from Basel when he lost to Swiss wildcard Jerome Kym, who is ranked 222nd in the world. The 23-year-old won 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (1), handing Shelton another defeat against a player ranked outside the top 100 this season. Kym will face eighth seed Jiří Lehečka in the quarterfinals.

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