Novak Djokovic has set his sights on qualifying for the ATP Finals this year.
Djokovic has played a limited schedule in 2026, with the 39-year-old only playing seven tournaments up to and including the US Open. However, since then Djokovic has played more tournaments and stated his goal to qualify for the ATP Finals.
Some have been surprised by this goal of Djokovic’s, particularly as he withdrew from the ATP Finals in 2024 and 2025.
Djokovic has some work to do if he is to qualify for the ATP Finals this year, but former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski thinks he knows the real reason why this is such a goal for the Serbian.
Greg Rusedski suggests Novak Djokovic is trying to boost his Grand Slam chances next year
It has been speculated that Djokovic wants to play the ATP Finals this year to potentially make one final appearance at the prestigious tournament he has won a record seven times.
Rusedski was asked about this in the latest edition of his podcast, but he actually believes that Djokovic’s main motivation for playing more at the end of this year is to boost his ranking so he can avoid playing the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz early at Grand Slams.
“I think he’s getting ready for next year,” said Rusedski. “I think he wants to be top eight in the world and top eight seeds. He’s playing because he still thinks he can win major tournaments.
“And for me the week of Paris is going to be the big decider. Yes, it’d be great if he can win Basel. That’ll give him 500 points or whatever he needs to move forward in the race and put himself in that mix around nine or 10 in the race if he does that in Basel, but the points available for Paris are going to be the definition.
“Because if he can win Paris, he’s through…So Novak wants to get seeded because he doesn’t want to play the Sinner’s, Alcaraz’s and all those guys in round of 16 or earlier and have to go through the draws the tough way.
“So, I think it’s a combination of two things and Novak’s had a great year. How good was he in Beijing? He’s never lost a match there, he’s won the title seven times. He did beat the guy who’s going to be number one in the world coming up at the end of the season, so don’t ever discount Novak. To me, he is the GOAT. And when he puts his mind to something, he usually achieves it.”
Where will Novak Djokovic be in the race to the ATP Finals if he wins the title in Basel?
Djokovic is currently 11th in the race to the ATP Finals, where the top nine players will qualify after Sinner ended his season due to a knee injury. Djokovic has taken a wildcard into the Swiss Indoors tournament in Basel, where he is a former champion.
In the first round, Djokovic will face Ugo Humbert, with the likes of Ben Shelton and Casper Ruud also in his half of the draw, with ATP Finals qualifications rivals Rafael Jodar and Arthur Fils potential final opponents for him.
If Djokovic wins the title in Basel then he could overtake the likes of Jodar and Alex de Minaur, which would put him in a position to qualify for the ATP Finals once again, but it will also depend on their results this week as well.
Djokovic will play his first round match at the Swiss Indoors in Basel on Tuesday, October 27 against Humbert, against whom he won his only previous match.