“I would like to” — that was Novak Djokovic’s response when asked whether he wanted to play in Turin after his second-round exit at the Shanghai Masters. His 6–4, 6–3 defeat to Hubert Hurkacz left the Serb facing an uphill battle to qualify for the ATP Finals, with Paris initially the only tournament he planned to play before the season-ending event. However, when the 24-time Major champion sets his mind to something, he has always been willing to take the extra step, and Djokovic’s recent scheduling decision reflects that mindset.
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Djokovic is all set to play at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, with the Serb accepting a wildcard. This would be his fourth appearance, having last played in 2011, ending a 15-year absence from the event. He has won the title here once, back in 2009, when he beat home favorite Roger Federer in the final. While he was slated to play the exhibition event in Riyadh from October 21 to 24, it was postponed, opening the window.
The idea of a late entry came from Djokovic’s side, to which the organizers readily agreed.
“When the most successful tennis player in history comes knocking, you have to make it possible,” tournament director Roger Brennwald told the Basler Zeitung.
“Djokovic wants to collect points to qualify for Turin. And he has good memories of Basel,” said Brennwald. “Perhaps the veteran will now thwart the plans of the next generation.”
It’s a welcome relief for the director. Per Nau Basel, spirits of the organizers were down after learning that Carlos Alcaraz, who had once made a promise, per Brennwald, had chosen Vienna over Basel. A year ago, Brennwald had said: “Alcaraz assured me: Should he ever play again in the corresponding tournament week, it will be in Basel.”
It isn’t, but Djokovic’s sudden request changed the mood completely within a camp that has had to compete with Vienna and its established names for attention.
Playing a warm-up event before the Paris Masters has been relatively unusual in Djokovic’s recent schedule. Between 2012 and 2019, he went from Shanghai to Paris without entering another tour-level tournament in between, except for when he missed the entire late-season swing in 2017 after an elbow injury forced him to end his season following Wimbledon.
In 2022, though, he did step up his schedule to qualify for the ATP Finals by adding two indoor events — Tel Aviv and Astana. However, his tournament options were already restricted that season because his unvaccinated status prevented him from entering Australia and several North American events under their COVID-19 entry rules. His Wimbledon triumph also brought no ranking points, following the ATP’s decision to withhold points from the British grass-court tournaments in response to the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian players.
The Serb is equally determined this year. With 2840 points, he is 11th in the Live Race to Turin. And with Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal, he needs to finish inside the Top-9 of the live race. As of now, he is just 40 points behind Alex de Minaur, who’s in 10th, and a little over 300 points behind the 9th-placed Rafael Jodar. However, having won the semifinals in Shanghai, Jodar will have the chance to widen the gap.
That said, Ben Shelton, Arthur Fils, and Rafael Jodar- the Basel draw has some of the best that the young generation of ATP has to offer, which will keep Djokovic’s hands full. The Serb has yet to face either Jodar or Fils, and he has played against Shelton just once, three years ago at the 2023 US Open. Should the Serb face Jodar, the match will carry the added pressure of the Race, as the Spaniard is one of the Serb’s closest competitors.
Not to mention, the Basel event will host a special farewell tribute to Swiss favourite Stan Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam champion who plans to retire at the end of the 2026 season. If the two meet in the draw, that will make for a great spectacle, given the historic contests the two have shared on the court, including one in Basel back in 2009, where the Serb won a three-set contest on his way to the title.
Djokovic is not the only star opting to play a warm-up event before the final Masters 1000 event in Paris this year. In an interesting move, Carlos Alcaraz accepted a wildcard in Vienna, with the Spaniard set to play at the tournament after five years. Alcaraz’s late addition also came after the Six Kings Slam exhibition was postponed. However, he has already qualified for Turin and is simply looking to sharpen his edges against the competition before Paris and Turin.