Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will play ATP 500 events in Basel and Vienna, respectively, before the Paris Masters.
Two of the biggest names in men’s tennis shocked many by accepting wild cards into ATP 500 tournaments next week. Fans expected Djokovic and Alcaraz to rest up before the Paris Masters, but both players decided to remain active instead.
Former American ATP stars John Isner and Sam Querrey have now commented on their decisions, and theorised over why they have chosen to play.
John Isner thinks Carlos Alcaraz wants to prove he is still ‘the guy to beat’ by playing Vienna
“He [Carlos Alcaraz] had all that time off; he’s relatively fresh. The freshest he will probably ever be for the rest of his career, going into the fall indoor season. I think he’s fired up; he wants to prove that he is the best player in the world,” said Isner during the latest episode of ‘Nothing Major‘.
“Certainly wants to win the year-end finals in Turin. He will be the favourite, no matter where he is seeded at that event, with [Jannik] Sinner not participating. I think he wants to maybe prove he is still the guy to beat, heading into the 2027 season.
“Huge for the ATP, that he is playing this 500 week, and obviously huge for Vienna, we’ve played that tournament, it’s an awesome event. He’s going to be received pretty well there in Vienna.”
“What a treat for Vienna! It’s like winning the lottery,” added Querrey, who went 2-3 in his five career matches at the Vienna Open.
Isner believes Alcaraz is playing with a point to prove after missing several months of the season due to injury. The Spaniard has won two events since returning from injury, the Laver Cup and the Japan Open, but fell short at the two biggest tournaments he’s played, the US Open and the Shanghai Masters.
Alcaraz is expected to play the Vienna Open, Paris Masters, and the ATP Finals before the end of the year, and perhaps a win for the 23-year-old in Austria will give him the confidence boost he needs to win in Paris and Turin.
He will need to be at his very best to win the Vienna Open, though. Two-time Grand Slam champion Alexander Zverev and former world number one Daniil Medvedev will join him, as will top-10 stars Flavio Cobolli, Alex de Minaur, and Frances Tiafoe.
Top eight seeds in Vienna
- 1. Alexander Zverev
- 2. Carlos Alcaraz
- 3. Daniil Medvedev
- 4. Flavio Cobolli
- 5. Alex de Minaur
- 6. Frances Tiafoe
- 7. Tommy Paul
- 8. Jakub Mensik
The 2026 Vienna Open begins on October 26. Italy’s Jannik Sinner defeated Zverev, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, in the 2025 final.
John Isner says Novak Djokovic is in ‘good shape’ to win the Swiss Indoors in Basel
Isner also took the time to comment on Djokovic’s decision to return to the Swiss Indoors after 15 years away. The Serb is chasing an ATP Finals place and knows 500 points would do his chances the world of good.
“He’s rested; he recently won a 500, then lost early in Shanghai. Mentally and physically, it’s about as fresh as he’s going to be going into this event. But man, you look at the top eight seeds, holy cow, it’s loaded. This 500 week is brutal on both sides. You have Novak at the fifth seed, at 12 in the world. He’s in good shape, for sure, to take another title here like he did in Beijing,” said Isner.
Top eight seeds in Basel
- 1. Ben Shelton
- 2. Felix Auger-Aliassime
- 3. Arthur Fils
- 4. Rafael Jodar
- 5. Novak Djokovic
- 6. Taylor Fritz
- 7. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
- 8. Jiri Lehecka
“It shows his mindset; no one would be surprised. Everyone would understand if he kind of shut it down this year. No, he is hungry and hungrier than ever. I thought it would be the opposite after the US Open; I thought he would shut it down and then gear up for Australia. No, look what he’s doing.”
Querrey and Steve Johnson were also keen to weigh in on Djokovic’s unlikely return to Basel.
“In my opinion, this is Novak, obviously hasn’t played that many tournaments, he’s on the outside looking in for the World Tour Finals, for the first time in his career, and I just think that’s a big enough carrot on the end of the stick for him to go out there and get the job done,” said Johnson.
“This is the first time ever Novak has had to chase points. He’s never been in this situation; it’s never happened before. It’s kind of a new place for him,” added Querrey.
Djokovic sits 11th in the ‘Race to Turin’, behind Alex de Minaur and Rafael Jodar. He must overtake both players to qualify for the ATP Finals, an event he’s won seven times.
He can add 500 points to his tally at the Swiss Indoors. This year’s Swiss Indoors begins on October 26. Joao Fonseca defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, 6-3, 6-4, to win the title a year ago.