Alejandro Davidovich withdrew from the ATP 500 Swiss Indoors Basel after contracting a stomach virus that prevented him from training in the days leading up to the tournament, MARCA reported.
The fifth seed from Málaga hoped to defend the 330 ranking points he earned as a finalist last year, when he fell to Fonseca. Instead, the sudden illness left him unable to travel to Basel alongside Pato Clavet, forcing tournament organizers to alter the singles draw. Davidovich asked organizers to push back his opening match against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs to Wednesday to allow time for recovery, but the request was not granted.
The withdrawal arrives just one week after Davidovich captured the biggest title of his career at the Masters 1000 de Shanghái, a triumph that propelled him to 13th in the ATP Rankings. Yet the timing of the stomach bug, combined with a stop-start season marred by physical setbacks—including an abdominal injury that sidelined him during the clay-court swing and a 70-day layoff following trouble in Umag after Wimbledon—has severely hampered his late-season momentum.
🚨 𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has withdrawn from the ATP 500 in Basel due to a gastric infection.↳ 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗫𝗧Hubert Hurkacz takes a seeded place and faces Zizou Bergs, while Arthur Fils now plays a qualifier or lucky loser. The withdrawal leaves Davidovich… pic.twitter.com/pXcYkKumjY
ATP Finals Hopes Fade as Rankings Shift
Without the chance to compete in Basel or defend his runner-up points from the previous edition, Davidovich sees his chances of qualifying directly for the ATP Finals in Turin evaporate. Live rankings already place him 15th heading into the week, leaving him 649 points behind compatriot Rafa Jódar, who currently holds the final provisional qualifying spot for the season-ending championship.
While Jódar will compete in Basel—facing Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in his opener—Davidovich no longer controls his path to Turin. According to MARCA, even winning the upcoming Masters 1000 de París would leave him short of the required threshold without significant help from other results in the race.
In the wake of Davidovich’s withdrawal, tournament organizers adjusted the Basel bracket. Hubert Hurkacz stepped into the draw to face Zizou Bergs in place of the sidelined Spaniard, filling a spot that could have set up a potential all-Spanish quarterfinal clash between Davidovich and Jódar.
Davidovich Prepares for Paris Masters and Davis Cup
With his Basel campaign canceled, Davidovich’s sights turn toward the final Masters 1000 event of the regular calendar in the French capital. He is slated to return to action at the Paris Masters, running from November 2 to November 8, where he is positioned as the 12th seed, before potentially closing out his individual tour schedule at the 250 de Estocolmo.
Beyond the ATP Tour, the player’s primary focus for the remainder of the year centers on international team competition. MARCA reported that Spain captain David Ferrer is scheduled to announce his five-man squad for the Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna, with Davidovich expected to feature prominently alongside Carlos Alcaraz, Rafa Jódar, Marcel Granollers, and Pedro Martínez.
