ATP Tour 500 – EUR 2.196 million – 21 to 29 October 2023

Stellar tennis gala at St. Jakob

The standout field at this year’s Swiss Indoors from 21 – 29 October 2023 could hardly be more impressive. Four stars from the top ten, plenty of big names and a cut-off at ATP ranking 43 add up to the highest-ranked draw ever at the highlight of the Swiss tennis calendar. Aside from the one-off situation in 2015, when Swiss Indoors benefited from the weaker draw in the competing ATP 250 tournament in Valencia, the competition has never been tighter. So this year, anyone with a ranking lower than 43 will have to put their name on the waiting list or go through qualifying.

Upcoming tennis avalanche

Tournament president Roger Brennwald is delighted with the ‘who’s who’ of the Basel entry list. ‘It exceeds all expectations. With such a competitive field, big matches are guaranteed from the first round onwards, and surprises can’t be ruled out.’ The perfect date in the run-up to the ATP Finals in Turin and the sterling reputation of the third-biggest indoor tournament on the tour go some way to explaining the magnetic appeal of Swiss Indoors. Like last year, the field is led by Spanish Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz (ATP 2), with Dane Holger Rune (ATP 4), American Taylor Fritz (ATP 8) and Norwegian Casper Ruud (ATP 9) right on his heels.

One-third of field making their debut in Basel

The signs of a new era are becoming ever clearer amid the jostling on the men’s tour. The wave of the next generation is rolling in, and the field in Basel is a case in point: roughly a third of the directly qualified pros are playing in Basel for the first time. First-timers include the Pole Hubert Hurkacz (ATP 17) and the big-serving Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor (ATP 24). Chilean Nicolas Jarry (ATP 23), who won in Geneva, Argentine Sebastian Baez (ATP 27) – a three-time tournament-winner in Cordoba, Kitzbühel and Winston-Salem (USA) – and the American Sebastian Korda (ATP 28) come into the tournament as dangerous outsiders. And newcomer to the broad ranks of top US players, Christopher Eubanks (ATP 32), is coming off a quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon.

Wawrinka leads the Swiss connection

In the battle of to be or not to be, the Swiss connection is led by three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka. The crowd favourite from 2022 sits in second place on the waiting list and needs at least two absences or a wild card from the organiser to make it into the draw. Young Swiss star Dominic Stricker (ATP 90) has secured a place in the main draw with a wild card. Further wild cards will be allocated at a later date.

The special cases of Schwartzman and Auger-Aliassime

Argentine Diego Schwartzman joins the main field as the exception to every rule with a current ATP ranking of 133. How is that possible? Last autumn the South American was among the top 30 players designated by the tour for certain tournaments. Schwartzman later plummeted in the rankings. Now he’s coming to Basel to honour an old commitment from 2022 to play in an ATP 500 tournament. Due to the fact that the title holder Félix Auger-Aliassime (ATP 15) is not on the entry list, Swiss Indoors is in contact with the ATP to determine if this is due to a communication issue between the ATP and the player.

Spectacle on Super Monday, 23 October 2023

In addition to the opening match of Carlos Alcaraz, the opening ceremony will kick things off at this year’s event. Performing a medley, the choir of Theater Basel, accompanied by the Christoph Walter Orchestra, will present an exhilarating concert show with interpretations and world hits by Montserrat Caballe, Paul Anka, Amy Macdonald, ABBA and Alvaro Soler, who all graced Swiss Indoors with their presence in past years.

Tickets can be ordered online via the Swiss Indoors website or the Ticketcorner website.