Novak to face Humbert in Basel opener

Serbia’s top player will compete at the ATP 500 event in Basel, which runs from October 26 to November 1, with the draw placing him in the top half.

Novak, seeded fourth, will open his campaign against world No. 35 Ugo Humbert. The Serbian has faced the Frenchman once before, in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2019, winning in straight sets.

Novak’s projected path through the tournament:

Second round: Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) or a qualifier
Quarter-final: Alexander Bublik (KAZ, 7) or Zizou Bergs (BEL)
Semi-final: Ben Shelton (USA, 1), Casper Ruud (NOR) or Jiri Lehecka (CZE, 8)
Final: Arthur Fils (FRA, 2), Taylor Fritz (USA, 6), Rafael Jodar (ESP, 3) or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP, 5)

Novak will return to the Swiss Indoors Basel for the first time since 2011. He has competed at the tournament three times, winning the title in 2009 with a victory over Roger Federer in the final. He reached the championship match again a year later before being stopped in the semi-finals in 2011.

The Basel tournament is played indoors on hard courts, and Novak will look to make a strong run as he continues his bid to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin.