What must Novak Djokovic do at Paris Masters to book ATP Finals spot?

Novak Djokovic has made his task of qualifying for the ATP Finals more difficult after suffering a surprise defeat at the Swiss Indoors in Basel. The Serbian lost to Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round on Thursday, missing an important opportunity to collect valuable ranking points. With the season-ending tournament approaching, Djokovic has very little time left to improve his position. The Paris Masters, which begins next week, could be his last big opportunity to secure a place in Turin.What does Novak Djokovic need to do to qualify for ATP Finals after Basel shock?Djokovic returned to Basel for the first time in 15 years but could not make it a winning comeback. The 39-year-old lost 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 6-7 (5-7) against Struff. It was the German's first victory over Djokovic in nine meetings.The defeat has left Djokovic 10th in the ATP Finals qualification race with 2,890 points. He is 319 points behind Rafael Jodar, who is currently ninth in the standings and holds the last qualifying position, following Jannik Sinner's withdrawal from the Turin tournament due to injury.ID@undefined Caption not available.Race to Turin: Points as of October 30Daniil Medvedev is fourth in the race with 3,760 points, followed by Flavio Cobolli with 3,690 points. Arthur Fils is sixth with 3,525 points, while Frances Tiafoe is seventh with 3,380 points. Rafael Jodar is currently eighth with 3,209 points, followed by Alex de Minaur in ninth place with 2,980 points. Djokovic is 10th with 2,890 points.Taylor Fritz is 11th with 2,785 points, just ahead of Tommy Paul, who has 2,775 points. Jakub Mensik is 13th with 2,545 points. Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton have already qualified for the ATP Finals.The ATP Finals will feature eight players, with Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton already assured of their places. That leaves five spots available, with around 10 players still fighting to qualify.Medvedev and Fils are in strong positions to take two of those places. If they qualify, three spots could be left for Djokovic, Jodar, Cobolli, Tiafoe, De Minaur, Fritz, Paul and Mensik.However, Cobolli's chances could be affected by an injury he suffered during his match against Matteo Berrettini in Vienna. The Italian was visibly emotional and in tears on the court, raising doubts about his availability for the remaining tournaments.Djokovic is among five players separated by fewer than 500 points, making the final few tournaments extremely important.What does Novak Djokovic need to do in Paris?The Paris Masters is Djokovic's next opportunity to collect ranking points and improve his chances of reaching Turin. The Serbian is a record seven-time champion at the Paris Masters, but he will need a strong performance this time. A semi-final appearance could put him in a better position in the qualification race. However, that alone may not be enough.Djokovic will also need some of the players competing directly with him to exit the tournament early. Results involving Jodar, Tiafoe, De Minaur, Cobolli and the other contenders could play a major role in deciding the final line-up.The ATP Finals will begin on November 15, leaving Djokovic with very little room for error. His performance in Paris could determine whether he gets another chance to compete at the season-ending championship.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.