Novak Djokovic has passed an early test at the Swiss Indoors Basel after coming from behind to defeat Ugo Humbert.
After a two-hour, 29-minute battle in Switzerland, Djokovic beat Humbert 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the ATP 500 tournament. The Serbian veteran is competing at the event for the first time since 2011, while he lifted the trophy on his debut two years prior.
How would you feel if Novak Djokovic got a wildcard to the ATP Finals?
Is there any changes you’d make to the current qualification system?
Djokovic is a wildcard in Basel, with the 39-year-old very clearly aiming to gain further points to reach the ATP Finals next month. And he has started off in fine fashion in that pursuit with a hard-fought victory over his French rival.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion now meets German Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round, after he knocked out his compatriot Yannick Hanfmann. And Djokovic should be full of confidence for that clash given what he has just achieved at the Swiss Indoors.
Novak Djokovic extends extraordinary career record at Swiss Indoors Basel
Hugely impressively, Djokovic now has 33 consecutive wins against French opponents. But perhaps more significantly, he has just claimed his 20th tour-level win of the 2026 season. That means he has now reached that tally for 21 consecutive seasons.
The extraordinary record demonstrates just how dangerous the legendary figure is at this stage of his career, at which retirement is surely on the horizon. But he remains a major threat to the rest of the ATP Tour, who will be well aware that Djokovic is far from finished despite his glittering career.
Sharing his thoughts on his latest battle, the world number 12 said: “Super tight match, very intense from the very beginning. He was just striking the ball beautifully, being super aggressive, taking away a lot of the time for me.
“I was under attack from the very first point to be honest, and I had to weather the storm, and it was tough, really tough, for a set and a half. But I managed to find my rhythm at the beginning of the second and save some break points, crucial at the beginning of the second set. After that, I started feeling a bit more comfortable with his tempo.”
Djokovic finds himself 11th in the Race to Turin rankings, with the top eight players set to qualify for the ATP Finals. However, Jannik Sinner ending his season has opened up a place. But the race remains as competitive as ever, with several players in action this week looking to move one step closer to Turin.
Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton have already qualified, while Djokovic’s challengers Arthur Fils, Rafael Jodar and Taylor Fritz are all into the next round in Basel. Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, Alex de Minaur and Tommy Paul have all got off to winning ways in Vienna. But Frances Tiafoe has suffered an early exit in the Austrian capital.
