Tennis News

Once again, for the third consecutive year, Novak Djokovic is through to the final of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, where he will meet one of his greatest rivals for the 37th time on the professional tour. The Federer-Djokovic rivalry extends back to 2006 and has reached a head-to-head record of 19-17.

The top seed faced the sternest test of his WTF campaign when he stepped across the court from an inspired Kei Nishikori. Djokovic, who came into this match having just been crowned the year-end No. 1 player, survived a mid-match lapse in focus to rebound and close out the contest in dominant fashion in the deciding set. The match ended 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 in 1 hour and 27 minutes.

Djokovic has now advanced his indoor streak to 31 consecutive wins, which date back to a 2012 loss to Sam Querrey at the Paris Bercy. He dropped a mere nine games in the round robin stage and lost his first set this week against Nishikori.

“I was fortunate because in the beginning of the third set, he had break points,” said Djokovic. “If he broke me, the match could have gone either way. I managed to find that little bit of strength and get a win today. Tomorrow is the last match of the season. Of course it’s one of the biggest tournaments in the world. This is already the biggest possible motivation. I will try to give everything I have.”

In what was undoubtedly the most enthralling match of the year-end championships so far this season, Federer and Wawrinka contested a three-set battle that featured an assortment of controversy, overrules, momentum shifts, and heartbreak, before Federer eventually struck the final blow for a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) score.

Having already contested five separate matches against each other this season, Djokovic and Federer are hardly strangers to the other’s game. Federer holds a 3-2 edge this season; however, both men showed slight weaknesses in their semi-final matches, making it near impossible to confidently predict a victor in tomorrow’s encounter. With Djokovic’s 31-match indoor streak on the line, he has proven to be the more consistent player on this surface.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Three Sets

Two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic and six-time champion Roger Federer will meet in the final f the 2014 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, after Federer edged fellow countryman Stan Wawrinka in the semi-final stage of the tournament.

In what was undoubtedly the most enthralling match of the year-end championships so far this season, Federer and Wawrinka contested a three-set battle that featured an assortment of controversy, overrules, momentum shifts, and heartbreak, before Federer eventually struck the final blow for a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(8) score.

The first set saw a quick break from Wawrinka to lead 3-1. His backhand appeared dialed in and he was continued to attack Federer until he extended the gap to 5-2 with a double break advantage. While Federer managed tighten the score by snatching one of the breaks back, Wawrinka managed to serve out the set on his second attempt to set up what was likely to become the most competitive match of the tournament yet.

While the first set saw Wawrinka take command of the action and control the court, the second set was a far more competitive affair, and while both men had break point chances, the score remained on serve through ten games. However, the 17-time Grand Slam champion pounced late in the set to win the next eight consecutive points and force the contest to a decider.

The final set started in controversial fashion, as Federer did not notice the chair umpire overrule his point at 30-0, and found himself down 0-40 on serve without being mentally prepared for it. Wawrinka pounced and snatched an early break before extending his lead to 3-1 shortly thereafter. The Swiss No. 2 held his nerve during service games until it came time to serve out the match at 5-4 up. There, a lengthy game would see Federer break serve and quickly take a 6-5 lead in the final set. Moments later, the match was forced into a tiebreak, which Federer won after saving a fourth match point.

Federer will now contest the final in London against two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic.

Once again, for the third consecutive year, Novak Djokovic is through to the final of the Barclays World Tour Finals in London, as he fended off a brave attack from Kei Nishikori to defeat the Japanese No. 1 in three sets.

Djokovic, who came into this match having just been crowned the year-end No. 1 player, survived a mid-match lapse in focus to rebound and close out the contest in dominant fashion in the deciding set. The match ended 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 in 1 hour and 27 minutes.

“I would say I was close,” said Nishikori. “Even though the last set was a bagel, I had a couple chances in the first couple games. The first set he played really good, too good for me. But the second set I start playing well. He got a little bit tight. I took some risks. Everything worked well in the second.

The third set in particular was a complete blowout, as Nishikori faded rapidly after nearly breaking serve early in the set. From there, the momentum shifted back to Djokovic and the Serb never looked back.

“I was fortunate because in the beginning of the third set, he had break points,” said Djokovic. “If he broke me, the match could have gone either way. I managed to find that little bit of strength and get a win today. Tomorrow is the last match of the season. Of course it’s one of the biggest tournaments in the world. This is already the biggest possible motivation. I will try to give everything I have.”

Djokovic now advances his indoor streak to 31 consecutive wins dating back to a 2012 loss to Sam Querrey at the Paris Bercy. He dropped a mere nine games in the round robin stage and lost his first set this week against Nishikori.

Djokovic will play the winner between Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka in the final.