The race for the ATP Finals at the end of the year it hotting up and, surprisingly, Novak Djokovic has joined it with enthusiasm.

The Serbian has tended to snub the final section of the ATP Tour in recent years and he has not played the ATP Finals since he last lifted the title in 2023.

However, Djokovic has admitted that he wants to qualify for the Turin tournament this year and he is set to play the Swiss Indoors for the first time since 2010 in his attempt to collect more ranking points.

Djokovic is set to play in Basel and Paris before the ATP Finals and he currently sits at 11th in the race, with the top eight securing a spot at the tournament.

Sam Querrey and John Isner, of Nothing Major, have both remarked on how strange it is to see Djokovic in a race to qualify for the ATP Finals.

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“This is the first time ever Novak has had to chase points,” said Querrey. “I feel like literally ever, right? And he’s never been in this situation like, ‘Oh, I got to play an extra event to qualify.’ It’s never happened before. It’s never happened. So, it’s kind of a new place for him.”

Isner, meanwhile, praised Djokovic for his mentality and respect for the sport that he is still willing to tough it with the ATP Tour’s best to qualify.

“But it shows his mindset,” admitted Isner. “Like, no one would be surprised or everyone would understand if he like kind of shut it down this year, right? No, like he is hungry and hungrier than ever.

“I thought it was going to be the opposite after the US Open. I thought he’d maybe try to shut it down then gear up for Australia. No, look what he’s doing. It’s pretty amazing.”

There are currently five spots still remaining for the ATP Finals, as Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Ben Shelton have already confirmed their spots.

Jannik Sinner’s decision to end his season early has left the race wide open, with the likes of Flavio Cobolli, Daniil Medvedev, and Frances Tiafoe in pole position to earn their places.

Djokovic looks set to be in a race with the likes of Alex de Minaur, Rafael Jodar, and Arthur Fils for the last two spots, and it could go right down to the wire.

The Serbian is currently 485 ranking points away from eighth place, so he will likely need deep runs at both the Swiss Indoors and the Paris Masters.

Thankfully for Djokovic, he has previous at both tournaments.

He’s won the Swiss Indoors once, in 2009, while he’s lifted the Paris Masters title on seven occasions, which is a tournament record.