Former world number one Novak Djokovic came through a stern test against Frenchman Ugo Humbert to reach the second round in Basel on Wednesday.
Novak Djokovic secured a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over former world No. 13 Ugo Humbert in his return to the Swiss Indoors Basel event after 15 years, setting up a second-round matchup against Jan-Lennard Struff.
In his on-court interview, the former Basel champion outlined: "It was a super tight match, very intense from the beginning.
"He was striking the ball beautifully, being super aggressive, taking the time away from me. I was under attack from the very first point. I had to weather the storm, but I managed to find my rhythm at the beginning of the second set."
“After that, I started feeling a bit more comfortable with his tempo," he added. "Overall, it was a huge challenge. I succeeded in managing to find the solutions in a tough match today.”
The 24-time major champion, who entered the ATP 500 event on a wild card, faced heavy pressure for most of an edgy encounter, eventually finding his way through to continue his campaign on Swiss soil.
The match was his first since early October, when he captured his seventh China Open title in Beijing.
As It Happened
The former world No. 1 found himself under pressure for the first time in the match in the third game of the first set when Humbert converted the first break point and held to take a 3-1 lead.
Djokovic had a chance to break straight back, but the Frenchman's aggressive play quickly shut the door, firing two aces to hold his ground.
A loose game behind the Belgrade-born serve gifted the world No. 38 another break point opportunity; however, the Serbian halted his opponent as he rallied to stay the course at 3-4.
Comfortable playing indoors at a tournament where he is a two-time semifinalist, the 28-year-old Frenchman served out the set 6-4 in 43 minutes, getting the upper hand.
Djokovic struggled in his first service game of the second set, but held his nerve to take a 1-0 advantage.
Then, momentum shifted as the 39-year-old bounced back to take the break and held to move forward 3-0.
Raising his level on serve, the former Basel champion extended his lead to 4-1, dominant in the shorter points.
On the other side of the net, Humbert received treatment on his lower back; the recurring physical issue has troubled the French player this season.
As he stepped back on court, neither his movement nor intensity seemed to drop as the seven-time ATP title holder continued to challenge his adversary in baseline rallies.
Following a battle at deuce, Djokovic closed out the second set 6-3 in 50 minutes to force a decider.
The Metz native came out firing in the final set, adding pressure on the fourth seed.
With the clock hitting the two-hour mark, the scoreline remained tied 2-2.
In a 10-minute fifth game, Djokovic mixed directions, keeping his rival guessing, and on his second attempt he converted a crucial break.
They went toe-to-toe, with Humbert maintaining consistency to showcase a high level of tennis throughout. Sharp on serve, he was also fierce on the forehand, striking the ball cleanly on the backhand.
Nonetheless, the experienced Serbian player navigated out of danger, wrapping up the set 6-4 and the match in two hours and 29 minutes.
Overall, he hit fewer winners than Humbert, 20 to 29, and committed fewer unforced errors, 24 against 39.
Moreover, he won 71 percent of the first serve points and 56 percent on his second delivery.
Next, he will meet world No. 47 Struff, who earlier defeated countryman Yannick Hanfmann in straight sets.
The Swiss Indoors Basel tournament runs from October 26 to November 1.