Struff and his infallible serve unsettle Djokovic and revive Jódar

Jan-Lennard Struff, finally, after eight consecutive losses to Novak Djokovic, enjoys the sweet taste of his first victory against the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the round of 16 at the ATP Basel. Although to achieve this he had to sweat, but above all persevere. No matter how many serves he hit, the Serbian never stopped fighting, and he had to finish it off in the tiebreak of the third set after more than two and a half hours of battle. He did so without losing his serve throughout the match (6-7(4), 7-5, 7-6(5)). And, to top it off, he halts the Belgrade player's attempts to qualify for the ATP Finals, something that Rafael Jódar appreciates.

After sweating heavily in his debut against the tough and intense Ugo Humbert, Djokovic barely had time to digest the victory, let alone enjoy it. Basically because 24 hours after defeating the Frenchman, he faces another tough opponent in Jan-Lennard Struff. While he has beaten him in all eight previous encounters, the German arrives on a high after reaching the final of the ATP 250 in Brussels.

This was Struff's hard-fought victory over Djokovic in the round of 16 of the ATP 500 Basel

If their match with the Frenchman featured long and intense rallies, their duel with the German was going to be quite different. Against a natural server like Struff, the difference would be who could take advantage of their few opportunities when receiving. Games passed between serves and volleys, but neither player enjoyed any chances.

However, two errors from the Serbian gave Struff two break points, but Nole managed to save them with two powerful serves. Once the only break opportunity was mitigated, the set took its natural course and would be decided in a tiebreak where any small detail would be fatal.

But once in that territory where everything is decided, the Belgrade wolf sharpens his senses. Although he spent a large part of the set unable to connect good returns, in the tiebreak he did so to achieve a valuable mini-break that he managed to maintain to take a tightly contested first set (7-6(4)).

As expected, the second set followed the same trajectory as the first. That is to say, serve, serve, and more serve. Still, Djokovic begins to see some cracks in Struff's serve, which saved two break points. Meanwhile, the Serbian appears to be almost more reliable than the German on serve.

What a win 💫 The moment Struff defeated Djokovic for the first time! #SwissIndoorsBasel https://t.co/AjRABaNkr9

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 29, 2026

But it is impossible to break the serving wall of a Struff who, even when his serve is not responding, is capable of saving a break point at 5-5 with an effective baseline game. The set heads toward another decisive tiebreak, but the unthinkable happens: three double faults from Djokovic in the same game silence the crowd in Basel, who do not understand what is happening, and the German, after defending throughout the set, receives a precious gift to send the match to the third set (7-5).

Now the tension is at its peak, games do not happen as quickly, but the serves continue to tip the balance. Djokovic fails to capitalize on a break point at the beginning of the set and also at 4-4. Opportunities that he may regret later, but in the meantime, he does not allow Struff any chance as he continues to serve and rush to the net, frustrating a Nole who keeps glancing at his bench with a look of anger and desperation.

He has allowed the German to escape, who secures the tiebreak and also has not lost his serve throughout the match against a Djokovic, possibly the best returner in history, who is beginning to show signs of fatigue. Just like the first set, everything will be decided in the tiebreak, and only one of the two can win.

So both engage in a high-stakes tennis battle. Djokovic relies on his baseline game and Struff on his unbeatable serve and volley, but the German's hammer strikes better and achieves a mini-break that could mean half the match. The Serbian fights with all his might, as he has done throughout the match, but Struff does not yield, does not hesitate, and it could only be with an ace that he achieves his first victory (6-7(4), 7-5, 7-6(5)) against Novak Djokovic.

However, there may be one person equally as happy, if not happier, than Struff, Rafael Jódar, who maintains the distance with the Serbian before a crucial Masters 1000 in Paris regarding qualification for the ATP Finals.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Struff y su infalible saque desquician a Djokovic y da vida a Jódar