Novak, Roger centre of attraction in London finale

LONDON: Roger Federer is aiming to complete a century of titles at the ATP Finals but will likely have to find a way past the irrepressible Novak Djokovic, who is looking to round off his astonishing season in style.

The two men, with 34 Grand Slams between them, are the twin titans at the season-ending event at London’s O2 arena.

But the tournament, which starts on Sunday, lacks an element of star power without the injured Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro, both of whom were forced to pull out of the season finale. Former champion Andy Murray, still making his way back from injury, and defending champion Grigor Dimitrov are other names missing.

The title is contested by the eight players who have accumulated the most ranking points over the season and is played in a round-robin format.

WORLD NUMBER ONE HALEP AND COACH SPLIT

PARIS: Darren Cahill, the coach of world number one and French Open champion Simona Halep, said on Friday that he will take a break from tennis in 2019 for family reasons.

“I would like to announce that Simona and I will not be continuing our partnership in 2019 purely for family reasons on my part,” Cahill wrote on Instagram.

“I’d like to thank Simona for the last 4 amazing years. Her understanding, personality, work ethic, generosity and professionalism made it a pleasure to stand by her side as her coach. I had the dream job,” he said.

FORMER WORLD NO FIVE SAFAROVA TO RETIRE

PRAGUE: Czech former world number five Lucie Safarova, a French Open runner-up in 2015, said Saturday she will retire after January’s Australian Open.

The 31-year-old has struggled with illness after coming down with a bacterial infection three years ago, just months after her run to the Roland Garros final.

She said the stress of constant travel was taking a toll on her and that she preferred to bow out on her own terms.