Top seed Ben Shelton fired a personal-best 44 aces in a best-of-three-set match on Tuesday to outlast US compatriot Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 7-6-(4)  to escape with a win in his opening match at the Swiss Indoors.

Victory in the Basel hometown of Roger Federer lasted for more than two hours and put Shelton up among the elite for aces; the best in the books is 47 from Milos Raonic, with Ivo Karlovic and Mark Philippoussis also figuring in the calculations

Shelton’s previous best was 26 aces.

Shelton and his compatriot duelled through the tight contest, with the seed finally gaining an edge through a 5-1 tiebreak lead in the third set.

Kovacevic, a lucky loser from qualifying rounds, put up a huge fight and saved two match points before going down to defeat.

Shelton said he is working to stop concentrating on serve speed and concentrating on his service form, which he credited with helping him through.

“I’m pretty excited about aces.” the winner said. ” I had games with multiple aces, I’m very pleased 

“That is how you win on these fast indoor courts. I’m happy with the performance.”

The 2024 finalist now owns 16 match wins at the ATP 500 level this season against just three defeats.

Novak Djokovic began his return to the Swiss Indoors after 15 years away, with the veteran admitting that the event – and the upcoming ATP Finals – are mere stepping stones to what he hopes could be a career-topping Grand Slam title

The 39-year-old who won the China Open title this month in Beijing after playing the Australian Open final and reaching the Wimbledon semis, last competed in rival Roger Federer’s hometown in 2011.

He claimed the local trophy two years earlier with a defeat of Federer but lost to the iconic Swiss in the 2010 title match.

“It’s been awhile since I played here,”the Serb with 24-Grand Slam singles titles said on Tuesday. “I’m excited to return even if this was not on my primary schedule.”

Djokovic had been due to play in the multi-million dollar Saudi exhibition, which has now been set back to the end of the year in hopes that war in the region will tone down.

Djokovic is now using this week and the Paris Masters to follow from Monday in preparation as he works for either a last-gasp place in the eight-man ATP Finals next month in Turin.

With his provisional 11th place in the race to Turin, solid performances over the next two weeks are critical; there is also talk that the player could possibly receive a rare wild card entry,

“I’ve had success indoors. But with some physical health problems at this stage of my career, I’d rather play indoors than in extreme heat.

“Right now I’m looking for more sustained energy on court. I hope to be able to perform well here.”

The fourth seed will start on Tuesday against Ugo Humbert and knows the opener will be key.

“The start is always the key, you need to start the week in the right manner. I need to come out of the blocks in the first round, I need to be at my best.”

Since winning Beijing in a surprise, Djokovic has been resting his body and working on the mysterious health worries which have left him gasping and out of breath at times recently.

“I’ve been training well the last couple of weeks and I’m excited to be back in Switzerland.

Despite his chances of more success, Djokovic has a specific immediate goal:  “It’s important to bring clarity and motivation.

“My primary goal is to feel better on the court, I’ve struggled with that.”

He added: “I need to be conscious of where I am in my career. and be grateful to still be able to play at the top level.

 “The Slams motivate me the most and I’m fighting for another title. I’m working as hard as I possibly can.

“But I want balance in my life, I want to be able to spend time with the family. I still have the passion to play tennis at the highest level. I feel I’m managing that well.”

Heartbroken Gael Monfils has changed his mind about a quick disappearance from tennis, with the soon-to-divorce Frenchman now ready for a farewell to fans next at the Paris Masters.

The popular 40-year-old has gone to ground after wife Elina Svitolina this month revealed their pending divorce. 

Reports have indicated that Monfils remains heartbroken, which he confirmed on a Twitch stream. WTA No. 6 Svitolina said in her bombshell statement this month that reasons for the split are deep and psychological – and are undoubtedly influenced by her grief at the war devastating her native Ukraine.

Monfils spilled the depths of his own depression:

“The separation with Elina hurt me a lot.  We are human, we have our own problems, and we do not necessarily control what we want. 

“This separation did not leave me without reaction.”

“Living a breakup is not easy… I can’t train as I want; I’m not at my top psychologically. I’m not going to pretend… I eat less, 

“I do everything less well. I talk to my family and loved ones, and this prompted me to ask myself the question: ‘Am I going to be strong enough, in training, in my preparation?’

 But the Frenchman said he had modified his plan to just disappear from the sport and will now say goodbye at the final Masters of the season at Paris La Defense.

“Of course I wasn’t going to leave like that. And now I want to thank the family of French tennis that supported me. 

“At the Paris Masters 1000, on Tuesday, November 3, after the first match of the night session, there will be a tribute to my career, a big show, and I will be able to say goodbye to you in person.”