Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski has issued a strong warning to Novak Djokovic’s competitors, urging them not to overlook the Serbian star ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin.

Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from the tournament due to a knee injury has opened up an extra spot, allowing the ninth-ranked player in the ATP race to qualify for the eight-player tournament. Rafael Jodar currently holds ninth place in the ATP race after his final-round run at the Shanghai Masters, putting him in a solid position to qualify for the Finals. However, Djokovic is sitting about 200 points behind in 11th place.

Djokovic won his career’s 102nd ATP title earlier this month by claiming the China Open. He saw off Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev to reach the final. The Serbian tennis star has also accepted a wild card for the Basel Open and has the Paris Masters in his sights to earn more ranking points. Onhis podcast, Rusedski has warned younger players not to underestimate Djokovic.

“You can never count Djokovic out,” Rusedski said via Tennis World USA. “Sinner is out, and suddenly we might find ourselves saying: ‘Oh, Nole just won Basel—Jodar is right there—what on earth is happening?’ He has always played very well in Paris—he has even won the title there—so Novak cannot be counted out. Don’t underestimate Djokovic: when he says he wants something, more often than not, he gets it.”

Novak Djokovic’s Grand Slam runs this season include a runner-up finish at the Australian Open, a third-round exit at the French Open, a semifinal run at Wimbledon, and a first-round exit at the US Open.

Andy Roddick offers his take on Novak Djokovic’s participation in Basel

After Novak Djokovic accepted the wild-card entry to play at the Swiss Indoors Basel, Andy Roddick shared his opinion on the Serb’s upcoming participation. Djokovic is returning to the tournament for the first time since 2011. His decision to compete comes as a surprise, as the 24-time Grand Slam champion has been selective about tournaments this year.

However, he has also fixed his sights on the ATP Finals in Turin. After his decision, Roddick said on his podcast ‘Served‘ that he wasn’t worried about Djokovic’s ability to compete in regular matches. He believed that the Serb is gradually building momentum ahead of the Australian Open.

“In the absence of an extended format and in the absence of outdoor extreme conditions, was I worried about Novak being able to play tennis? Absolutely not. Are we building some momentum towards Australia? Yes. Does it matter if he still has to play best of five, and it’s 100 degrees out, and will he play more going into Australia? I don’t know that you can just show up and play a slam. I guess that’s my point.”

Roddick further added that playing more matches ahead of a Grand Slam is important as it becomes increasingly difficult with age.

“I love the way that he’s going about this because if you don’t play from the US Open and then you try to play one match in, you know, Brisbane and then you go try to win a major, I just think that’s really hard generally, and I think it’s just harder as you go, right? I think it’s much harder at 40 than it is at even 37 for Novak.” (8:40 onwards)

The Swiss Indoors Basel will be held from October 26 to November 1, 2026.