Novak Djokovic is back in motion this week, as he makes his long-awaited return to Basel after a 15-year absence.
The Serbian’s presence at this ATP 500 occasion came as a shock to many when it was announced, but all turned clear once his ATP Finals aspirations were revealed.
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Despite snubbing the match in consecutive seasons, this time, he needs to play.
It’s nearly ironic that Novak Djokovic will now have to battle so laborious for qualification, when he would have achieved so simply in 2024 and 2025.
However, when wanting upon his Swiss Indoors draw, followers will be fearing the worst of boosting his probabilities of reaching this prestigious end-of-year showdown.
Novak Djokovic’s projected nightmare draw at the Swiss Indoors
The 39-year-old will begin his marketing campaign in the Swiss capital against Ugo Humbert, a participant at the moment ranked thirty eighth in the world and more than succesful of inflicting an upset.
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This typifies the renewed energy of these ATP 500 tournaments, which have only elevated in stature following the elongation of Masters 1000 occasions in current seasons.
If Djokovic can win that opening-round conflict, he is possible to face the big-serving Jan-Lennard Struff.
It’s projected that one of Casper Ruud or Nuno Borges would then be his quarter-final opponent, with Jiri Lehecka and Ben Shelton expected to battle it out for a semi-final spot.
Then, anyone from Taylor Fritz to Rafael Jodar and even Arthur Fils could make it to the ultimate.
On paper, this is an absolute gauntlet for Djokovic to face, and his probabilities appear slim. However, there is one statistic which should make the 24-time Grand Slam champion really feel assured that even these many top-ranked stars can’t stop him from snatching this silverware once again.
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Why Novak Djokovic should really feel assured in Basel despite robust draw
Given the disastrous previous week Djokovic has endured without even enjoying, Vienna has arguably become even more important for his ATP Finals probabilities.
Fortunately, there’s cause for great optimism, given his file against all of the aforementioned stars.
When compiling Djokovic’s head-to-heads against each and every one of the 9 gamers referenced, he has a mixed file of 30 wins and just one loss.
That defeat came to Ruud in the 2024 Monte Carlo quarter-finals.
Daniil Medvedev lately said whether the ATP Finals should take into account a wildcard due to Djokovic’s present scenario, but he would not need to be gifted this alternative.
A champion as aggressive as he is will possible thrive on this new underdog standing.
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