Novak Djokovic suffered a setback in his bid to qualify for the ATP Finals with his round of 16 defeat to Jan-Lennard Struff at the Vienna Open.

The Serbian currently sits at 11th in the race to qualify for the year-end tournament he has won seven times in his career before, so he has work to do at the Paris Masters.

Djokovic will need to reach the semifinals of the final Masters tournament of the year and he has not been helped by being given a very tough draw at the event.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion has been drawn against Valentin Vacherot in the first round, a player he is yet to beat on the ATP Tour.

Djokovic lost his only match to Vacherot at the Shanghai Masters, during the Monegasque star’s incredible run to the title in the 2025 season.

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Should he find a way past Vacherot in Paris, he will likely have to play Luciano Darderi in the second round of the ATP 1000 tournament.

Djokovic is yet to play Darderi in a professional match, but the Italian star has enjoyed a very good season in 2026.

He won his fifth ATP title at the Chile Open in February and followed it up by reaching the final of the Swedish Open in July. He currently sits at world No 21 in the ATP Tour rankings, so he will not be a pushover for Djokovic.

Djokovic’s most likely third round opponent is Alex de Minaur, who the Serbian most recently met in the final of the China Open, which was ended abruptly by an injury to the Australian.

Most challenging at the Paris Masters for Djokovic is his potential quarterfinals opponent, as he will be forced to defeat new world No 1 Alexander Zverev in order to qualify for the ATP Finals.

Having to defeat Vacherot, Darderi, de Minaur, and Zverev back-t0-back, without a single day off, will be incredibly challenging for a 39-year-old Djokovic.

Should the Serbian manage the incredible feat, there will be no doubt that Djokovic will absolutely deserve his place at the ATP Finals at the end of the year.

The Serbian is currently vying for a place at the year-end event, along with the likes of Rafael Jodar, Arthur Fils, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe, who are all set to play the ATP Finals.

The Paris Masters begin on November 2nd until November 8th, while the ATP Finals take place between the 15th and the 22nd November, so it could be a very hectic time for Djokovic before the end of the season.