Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer to win fourth consecutive ATP World Tour

The latest victory, his 82nd of the year, evens the head-to-head record against Federer at 22-22.

Djokovic has landed three grand slams, a record sixth Masters 1000 titles and now the lucrative finale to the ATP season to cap a remarkable 2015 which he recently admitted has been his best.

LONDON (AP) – The Olympic tennis tournament remains the only big singles title Roger Federer has yet to add to his collection.

Nadal described him as “almost unbeatable” on Saturday but the Serb still trails Federer 22-21 overall and says the Swiss plays a game he finds uncomfortable, especially over three sets rather than in grand slam play when Djokovic has the edge.

It was not a great match by any means – there were too many errors for that – but it was tense and fraught from the very first ball. There is a lot at stake.

“I thought I played some great tennis all week and in the final, but Novak deserves the win today like so many times this year”.

He will now take a break before beginning preparations for a crack at his 11th grand slam title as he defends his Australian Open crown in January.

As expected, the world No?1 reinforced his position, built moats around it and pulled up the drawbridge, with a 6-3, 6-4 pummelling of Roger Federer to win the ATP World Tour Finals last night.

Somehow you doubt that Novak Djokovic will ever turn the O2 Arena into Belgrade-on-Thames, colonising it in the way Roger Federer does for one week per year. “For me it’s an advantage because I guess it gives me a bit of confidence”.

Hoisting the title trophy high in the air was about the only time all day the world No. 1 took his eyes off the prize and soaked up his surroundings.

In the second set, both players had some early chances to breaks, but both held their nerve for holds through the opening nine games.

“You don’t win a break point, he does, vice versa, it changes the whole outcome of the match”. This year, Djokovic made it look nearly as simple as he wrapped it up in 80 minutes.

But while Djokovic just completed a year of dominance, it was also a year of disappointment for several other players. Federer knew that if he tried to rally with Djokovic from the back of the court, he was in trouble – it would be like standing in front of a steam roller armed with no more than a winning smile. Fortunately for Djokovic, he was there to tap it back over and get the point.

Federer will now head off to recharge his batteries and plan a fresh assault on Djokovic in 2016. “It inspires me even more to keep on going and hopefully playing on this level in the future”, he said. He has played in the semifinals at the season-ending event in 13 of his 14 appearances, advancing to the final 10 times. “When he’s on, it’s hard to play him”, said the Serb, who has beaten Federer four times in 2015, all in finals.

Federer, bidding for a record-extending seventh title at the year-ender, was staring at the abyss when he trailed 3-4 0-40 in the second set but escaped with five straight points.