Djokovic downs ns Federer in 3 sets ets
LONDON – Roger Federer had never lost his opening match at the ATP World Tour Finals since the elite tournament moved to London in 2009. That’s all changed now.
On the back of a chaotic and disappointing season, the former World No. 1 tasted defeat for the second time in less than a week against defending champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-2 on Tuesday.
The Serb extended his winning streak to 18 matches after capturing his sixth title of the season last week in Paris, where he defeated Federer in the semifinal, and kept alive his chances of overtaking Rafael Nadal in the race for the year-end No. 1 spot.
“It was a big challenge physically,” Djokovic said. “Only 48 hours ago I was playing in Paris, so to be able to play this well and beat Roger is incredible. First of all, I have to enjoy the win and then think about the recovery because it’s a big win. The good thing is, there is a day off. I’m going to try and recharge my batteries mentally and physically and get ready for (Juan Martin) Del Potro.”
Djokovic is attempting to finish No. 1 for the third year in a row but Nadal, who eased past David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, needs only one more win against Stanislas Wawrinka on Wednesday to be guaranteed the top spot. This 31st encounter between Federer and Djokovic – a remake of last year’s final – produced a somewhat disjointed match laced with unforced errors and flashes of brilliant tennis leaving both players looking exhausted toward the end of the match.
“Again, I was able to recover from all those matches and actually felt physically somewhat fine,” said Federer, who won his last Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2012 and has only two victories against top-10 opponents in 2013. “So I regret not having taken my chances better maybe.”
The oldest man in the draw at 32, Federer refused to draw early conclusions from a season that saw him suffer from back problems and drop to seventh in the rankings.
“The season’s not done yet,” he said. “Let’s talk about this stuff in hopefully four matches.”
Federer and Djokovic neutralized themselves until the ninth game when the Serb found himself 15-30 down. A double fault gave Federer his first break point but the former World No. 1 sent a forehand wide on the next point before Djokovic took the next two points to hold his serve.
The Serb earned two break points in the next game with a superb backhand return. The cheering from the legion of Swiss supporters packed in the stands did not help Federer as he fluffed a forehand to lose the set.
After rallying from 0-40 to break Djokovic for a 3-2 lead in the second set, Federer dropped his serve in the next game, double faulting after the Serb earned a break point with a backhand that hit the net cord before going over. AP