Double ATP 500 week: Alcaraz returns in Vienna, Djokovic chases title No. 103 in Basel — and Wawrinka says goodbye
Vienna and Basel begin Monday, October 26 with two luxury wild cards: Alcaraz opens against Khachanov (6-0 head-to-head) chasing his fourth title of the year, while Djokovic returns to the event he won in 2009 to pursue the 103rd title that would tie Federer. At home, Stan Wawrinka plays the final tournament of his career. The rackets of all of them, catalogued with real specs.
Redacción PalaComparer · · 5 min read
The European indoor swing reaches its densest week this Monday: two simultaneous ATP 500 events from October 26 to November 1, the Erste Bank Open at Vienna's Wiener Stadthalle and the Swiss Indoors at Basel's St. Jakobshalle. Both arrive with A-list invitations: Carlos Alcaraz accepted a wild card to return to Vienna for the first time since 2021, and Novak Djokovic did the same in Basel, where he hadn't played since 2011. In between comes the definitive farewell of Stan Wawrinka, who closes his career at his home tournament.
Vienna: Alcaraz returns with a stern entrance exam
The Spaniard, world No. 3 and fresh from a third-round Shanghai exit against Zizou Bergs, chases in Austria his fourth title of the year — and the draw offers no free passes: he opens against Karen Khachanov, a seven-time ATP Tour champion and semi-finalist at the recent US Open. History favors Alcaraz, who leads the head-to-head 6-0. Past that test he would face Basilashvili or local wild card Rodionov, with American Tommy Paul as a potential quarter-final opponent. Daniil Medvedev also lurks in his half of the draw, sixth in the Race to Turin and hungry for points.
The other half is Alexander Zverev territory: the German top seed opens against #NextGenATP Martin Landaluce with an extra incentive — if he reaches the quarter-finals he is guaranteed to rise to World No. 1 on November 2 for the first time in his career, capping a year he has already locked up as year-end No. 1. Further down, a blockbuster opening round: Tiafoe against Musetti, with Paul–Rublev another match of Masters calibre.
Basel: Djokovic hunts No. 103 and Wawrinka's last court
Djokovic returns to the tournament he won on his 2009 debut with two goals: career title No. 103, which would tie Roger Federer's tally, and points for the Race to Turin, where he sits 11th aiming at a record 19th qualification to the Nitto ATP Finals. His first opponent is an awkward one: Ugo Humbert, a lefty with four of his seven ATP titles won indoors who famously beat Alcaraz en route to the 2024 Rolex Paris Masters final. Top seed and former finalist Ben Shelton could wait in the semi-finals.
And then there is Wawrinka. At 41, after bidding farewell to the French crowd in Lyon last week — where he signed a 2h46 win over Landaluce before falling to Cobolli — the three-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 3 plays the final tournament of his career. He draws tough Jiri Lehecka (8th seed) in the first round, an opponent he has never faced; survive that, and a qualifier follows, with Shelton a potential quarter-finalist opponent. A tribute alongside Federer, Monfils and Murray awaits him in Geneva in December.
The Swiss draw keeps loading up on names with a PalaComparer file: Rafael Jodar, ninth in the Race after the Shanghai final, debuts against Tabilo in their fourth meeting of the year; Shanghai champion Alejandro Davidovich Fokina opens against Bergs; and Taylor Fritz gets an instant rematch with Tsitsipas, who beat him in three sets in China two weeks ago and leads their head-to-head 5-2. Second seed Arthur Fils starts against Hurkacz.
The rackets of the week, in the catalogue
The weapons of the protagonists have files with real specs and prices: Alcaraz plays the Babolat Pure Aero 98 (Gen 9)from 269,99 €; Zverev the Head Gravity Tour Zverev 2026from 228,95 €; Djokovic and Jodar share the Head Speed MP 2026from 195,49 € line; Shelton swings the Yonex EZONE 98 (8th gen)from 247,99 €; Fritz and Rublev the HEAD Radical MP Auxeticfrom 188,95 €; Tommy Paul the Yonex VCORE 98 (8th gen)from 236,95 €; Tsitsipas the Wilson Blade 98 16x19 v10from 169,99 €; and Medvedev the Tecnifibre TFight 305Sfrom 209,99 €. Still without an exact mould in the catalogue: Khachanov's Wilson Defyer 98 and Davidovich Fokina's Head Extreme MP.
