Roger Federer ends Djokovic’s winning streak at ATP Finals

[ November 18, 2015 13:43:00 ] New Delhi: Six-time victor Roger Federer produced a brutal, dominating game to beat world number one Novak Djokovic in straight sets to enter the semi-final of 2015 ATP World Tour Finals, even as Kei Nishikori kept his hopes alive with a hard-fought three-sets win over Tomas Berdych on Tuesday in London.

Victory for Djokovic would secure his place in the semis, while a straight sets win would guarantee Federer a last four spot. So, when the 34-year-old Swiss’s trust in his glorious shotmaking paid a first-set dividend on Tuesday, most of the 20,000 fans at the O2 Arena inched forward in expectation of the most loved man in tennis bursting the bubble of maybe the most straightforward. The world number one won just 25% of points behind his first serve in the second set – symptomatic of his disappointing form, and far from a winning statistic.

The Japanese player would go on to hold from deuce leaving Berdych with it all to do if he was to get back into the match. Although Djokovic broke right back, Federer regained the lead a short time later and won the final four games. I guess we have to win if we want to try to stay in the competition. Undoubtedly, he was the better player on the court. Federer was continuing to go for his shots and Novak was still a little bit up and down and had at times seemed a bit off balance with many of his groundstrokes.

Federer has two wins already in the Stan Smith Group with Djokovic and Kei Nishikori, who was well beaten by the Serb on Sunday, on one apiece.

There were also a few hard feelings during the 2011 US Open semifinals, when Federer took a dig at Djokovic after he blistered a slap-forehand victor to save match point.

He gave credit to Federer for mixing up the pace, and for giving him a different ball always. “It was important to take advantage of the fact he was not playing so well today, and for me to come out stronger than I did against Berdych”.

Murray and Peers now have to beat the top-ranked Bryan brothers in their final group match on Thursday to progress. “I made a lot of unforced errors, thus, I handed him the win, especially in the second set”. Nishikori meets Federer on Thursday. That the out-of-sorts Serb did not enjoy it was as obvious as the fact that Federer was dictating from the back of the court like someone with nothing to lose. Djokovic saw several other records fall in defeat in the evening session – this was his first loss in 16 matches at the World Tour Finals, and his first in 39 matches indoors, a winning run that had lasted more than three years. Obviously it’s been a long season.