Djokovic’s Serving Escapes Turn Basel Return Into Three-Set Win

Novak Djokovic found a way through Ugo Humbert’s early pressure to win his first match in Basel for 15 years, advancing 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 on Wednesday. The fourth seed completed the comeback in two hours and 29 minutes and will meet Jan-Lennard Struff next.

“Super tight match, very intense,” Djokovic said in the on-court interview reported by Tennis Now. The numbers supported that description: he saved five of six break points and finished with nine aces. He also landed 73 percent of his first serves.

Two early escapes changed the match

Humbert earned the opening break for 2–1 and protected it. The Frenchman’s left-handed serve helped him keep Djokovic away from an immediate recovery, and successive aces closed the first set after 44 minutes.

The second set began with a critical reversal. Djokovic saved two break points in the opening game, then broke for 2–0. Instead of falling further behind, he established the advantage that carried him into a deciding set.

Djokovic broke again for 3–2 in the third, then saved another break point while consolidating. His forehand winner down the line finished the match. Humbert’s opportunities made the final two sets more demanding than their single-break margins might suggest.

A return with a second objective

The result gives Djokovic another match in a tournament he had not entered since 2011. His official draw preview records a title in 2009, when he beat Roger Federer in the final, followed by another final in 2010 and a semifinal in 2011. Wednesday extended that history rather than completing a new title run.

Basel also has a place in his attempt to reach the season-ending ATP Finals. The tournament’s preview identified that qualification bid before his opener. He arrived with 102 tour titles after winning in Beijing earlier this month, leaving another championship as a separate target from simply advancing through the opening round.

Another championship would take Djokovic to 103 titles, level with Federer’s career total. The Swiss player was also his opponent in the 2009 Basel final, linking the historical comparison directly to this tournament. Several rounds still separate the opening win from that possibility.

The indoor hard-court event continues through November 1. Struff is the next confirmed opponent; potential meetings deeper in the draw still depend on both players advancing.

The week has already brought a final farewell for Stan Wawrinka. For Djokovic, the immediate outcome is different: another round, another opponent and a chance to keep building a late-season run.