Basel: Djokovic survives Humbert after a set and a half in the storm

Novak Djokovic needed two and a half hours and a set and a half of resistance to get past Ugo Humbert in the first round of the ATP tournament in Basel: 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. It was his first match in the city since 2009, on a wild card, and it nearly cost him.

A set and a half in the storm

Humbert took the match by the collar from the opening points. “He was striking the ball magnificently, being very aggressive and taking a lot of time away from me,” Djokovic analysed on court after the match. The Frenchman holds serve three times out of four this season; that ball striking made the first set, 6-4 Humbert, against a Serb short of rhythm after nineteen days without a match.

The turn came early in the second set: break points saved on his own serve, then the rhythm returned. “I was under pressure from the first point. I had to resist the storm, and it was hard, really very hard for a set and a half,” he added. The last two sets went Djokovic’s way, 6-3 then 6-4, with Humbert holding on to the end.

Turin in sight

The win relaunches the end of the Serb’s season. Invited late, after announcing only the Rolex Paris Masters on his schedule, he is back in the race for the ATP Finals in Turin: with Sinner’s withdrawal, the ninth qualifying spot stays open, and the world No. 11 still believes. Fils, Medvedev and De Minaur remain in the same race. For Humbert, ranked 32nd, it is a second straight defeat after Lyon and Corentin Moutet last week.

Before the match, the market priced Djokovic to win roughly seven times out of ten, and the tight scenario paid better: a 2-1 win in three sets traded at 3.60 with Bet365 the day before. On Bankroll Atlas, the Djokovic-Humbert preview carried no bet: between the odds and our read, no clear edge to take. 18+. Only bet what you can afford to lose.