The ATP 500 event in Basel will welcome the leading ATP players for the first time in three years in the last week of October. A prestigious indoor tournament did not occur in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, and the organizers are working hard to prepare everything for the new edition. The home favorite and a ten-time champion Roger Federer was the first confirmed player, and the organizers have signed a teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz, who will debut in Basel. The 19-year-old is the second-best player of the season so far after winning 32 out of 36 matches and lifting four titles. Carlos claimed two Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid and added a couple of ATP 500 crowns to his tally to crack the top-10 and continue his charge towards the ATP throne.
Carlos Alcaraz will compete in Basel for the first time in October.
Carlos has already beaten Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, and he could get a chance to meet the third legend Roger Federer in Basel later this year. Roger is doing his best to recover from the third knee surgery and extend his career, feeling good about his progress and hoping to return to the court in a couple of months. Federer is a three-time defending Basel champion, claiming his tenth crown in the hometown in 2019 and keeping the trophy for three years. In the 2019 Basel final, Federer defeated the young Aussie Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-2 in 67 minutes. Thus, the Swiss secured the tenth title at a single event for the second time after doing that in Halle in June. It was Roger’s 15th Basel final, and he toppled the young gun in no time to celebrate the milestone title.
Roger served well and took all the power away from Alex to control the scoreboard and seal the deal. The home favorite never faced a break point, and he kept the pressure on the other side. De Minaur failed to impose his strokes or remain competitive at least in his service games. Federer grabbed almost half of the return points and delivered four breaks from ten opportunities, more than enough to control the pace and lift the beloved trophy for the tenth time. Federer has played only six tournaments since the start of 2020, and he wants to extend his career and make a fresh start this fall.