Djokovic Faces Last-Chance Paris Run in Race for Turin

Novak Djokovic arrives in Paris this week with his season on the line. The 39-year-old needs at least a semi-final at the Rolex Paris Masters to stay in contention for the ATP Finals in Turin, after his second-round loss to Jan-Lennard Struff in Basel left him 11th in the race, 320 points behind Alex de Minaur, who holds the final qualifying place. With Jannik Sinner ruled out through injury, the player who finishes ninth in the race takes a spot in the eight-man field — and De Minaur leads Rafael Jodar by a single point for that final place. The draw has given Djokovic no favours. Seeded tenth, he receives no first-round bye and opens against Valentin Vacherot, the Monaco player who won the Basel title on Sunday and beat Djokovic in their only previous meeting, in the Shanghai semi-finals last year. A win would likely bring Luciano Darderi, then De Minaur, then a quarter-final against top seed Alexander Zverev. Tournament director Cedric Pioline urged fans to savour the seven-time Paris champion, suggesting this could be his last appearance at Bercy, or his second-to-last. Djokovic last played the event in 2023, when he won it. Main-draw play begins on Monday.