LONDON - Roger Federer lit up the O2 Arena with a dazzling 6-4 6-3 defeat of Novak Djokovic to hand the Serb an early ATP Finals exit and wreck his bid to end the year ranked number one.
In the 49th meeting between the 2 great rivals, Federer snapped a 5-match losing run against Djokovic and gained some consolation for his heartbreaking Wimbledon final defeat.
After both men had been beaten by Dominic Thiem earlier in the group, their eagerly-anticipated duel was a straight shoot-out to join the Austrian in the semi-finals.
Cheered on by the majority of the 17,000 fans in the arena, Federer produced an astonishing display of power, grace and precision and Djokovic simply had no answer.
Djokovic's first defeat by Federer for 4 years means Rafael Nadal will end the year as world number one for the fifth time even if the Spaniard fails to reach the semi-finals.
Nadal takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas in the other group on Friday.
Federer had played down talk of revenge when asked about his impending clash with Djokovic, but his victory celebration showed exactly what it meant.
"It was a great performance tonight from me," Federer, who at 38 continues to defy the passing years, said on court.
Asked what he did differently to the Wimbledon final when he failed to convert 2 championship points against Djokovic, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said: "I won the match point!"
Djokovic said it had been a "bad match" from his side but admitted Federer had done everything right.
"He was the better player in all aspects," the 32-year-old said. "I have the utmost admiration for him. What he's still showing on the court is phenomenal."
England's soccer team was in action across the city at Wembley on Thursday, but when Federer and Djokovic are on the same tennis court it is always the hottest ticket in town.
Djokovic had reached the final on his last 6 appearances at the ATP's most exclusive event while 6-time champion Federer had only once failed to reach the semi-finals in his 16 previous appearances.
Something had to give. From the moment Djokovic double-faulted twice in the third game to invite an early break for Federer, his hopes of extending his proud record looked forlorn.
Federer was seeing the ball like a melon, timing his groundstrokes to perfection while his serve was unplayable.
He dropped only 3 points on serve in the opening set and Djokovic's only chance was that Federer would cool off.
Djokovic dug deep to fend off break points in the opening game of the second set, then had his one and only break point in the fourth game but Federer whipped a huge forehand into the corner before pouncing on a volley.
Federer was relentless and surged 0-40 ahead in the next game. Djokovic saved one break point with a backhand pass but hit a forehand long on the next.
The end came quickly. Serving to stay in the match, Djokovic was broken to love as Federer sent a dipping backhand to his feet.
Earlier in the day Matteo Berrettini became the first Italian to win a match at the ATP's year-ender, beating Thiem 7-6(3) 6-3. Despite the loss, Thiem won the group by virtue of his victory over Federer on Sunday.
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PARIS - World number one Novak Djokovic saw off Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-3 6-4 to win a record-extending fifth Paris Masters title on Sunday in a warning to his rivals ahead of the ATP Finals.
The Serbian faced only one break point in another impressive display to claim a 34th career Masters title against world number 28 Shapovalov, who was playing his first final at that level.
"I served very well, there were not many rallies in the match. A break in each set was enough, it was the best serving performance in this tournament," said Djokovic, who did not drop a set this week as he won his 77th ATP title.
"It was his first Masters final so in a way experience prevailed. But I played very solidly today. Maybe he lost his focus a bit."
Shapovalov, who will reach a career-high 15th in the ATP rankings on Monday, ended the tournament with a sense of pride, knowing that there was little he could do against an almost unplayable Djokovic.
"Credit to Novak," he said. "Of course it's a tough ending but he was the better player," added the Canadian, who has now lost all four of his matches against 16-times grand slam winner Djokovic.
Djokovic, who started the week with a cold, is now one Masters title shy of Rafael Nadal's all-time record and on Sunday, the 32-year-old was untouchable at the Bercy arena.
Djokovic, who will be supplanted by Nadal at top of the ATP rankings on Monday, made a fine start, stealing Shapovalov's first service game as he opened a 3-0 lead.
The Serb was never threatened in the opening set, dropping only four points on serve as Shapovalov looked tight having not played on Saturday following Nadal's withdrawal.
The 20-year-old faced a break point in the first game of the second set, saving it with a powerful first serve but a forehand error on Djokovic's second opportunity gave his opponent a decisive 4-3 lead.
Djokovic then held serve throughout to snatch a morale-boosting victory ahead of the Nov. 10-17 ATP Finals in London, where he will be looking to secure the year-end world number one spot.
"I'm in a better position (to finish the season as world number one) than I was before this tournament but the only thing I can do is to focus on my game," said Djokovic.
Nadal's participation in the Finals is in doubt after the Spaniard sustained an abdominal injury in the warm-up to Saturday's semi-final in Paris.
Twenty-times Grand Slam champion Roger Federer skipped the event to be fresh for the season-ender at the O2.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Toby Davis)
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LONDON - Twenty four hours after being booed for having the audacity to take down a tennis great, Alexander Zverev returned to topple another one as he stunned Novak Djokovic to win the ATP Finals title on Sunday.
Zverev, billed as the player most likely to lead the sport into a new golden era once the holy trinity of Roger Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have hung up their rackets, took full advantage of an off-key Serb to win 6-4 6-3.
Hamburg-born Zverev had been shamefully booed and heckled on Saturday by a Federer-worshipping crowd having beaten the six-time champion after a controversial second-set tiebreak.
Against world number one Djokovic, however, the 18,000 fans wedged into the cavernous O2 arena were roaring their support as he produced a level of tennis his opponent could not match.
He struck 20 winners to Djokovic's seven -- the last of which was a backhand to end a one hour and 19 minute duel.
"I really can't describe it. It is the biggest title I have ever won," Zverev said on court after becoming the first German to win the ATP's most prestigious title -- often referred to as 'the fifth slam' -- since Boris Becker in Frankfurt in 1995.
In becoming the youngest ATP Finals champion since Djokovic, also 21, in 2008, Zverev sent out a clear message that he is ready to spend a considerable amount of time at tennis' top table and start accumulating the game's biggest prizes.
Djokovic, whose error-strewn display was a shock after a dominant week in south east London which included an easy round-robin win over Zverev, sportingly walked around the net to congratulate his conqueror after match point -- the German still laying on his back in a state of disbelief.
Later, Djokovic told reporters: "There's a lot of similarities in terms of trajectory of professional tennis, in our careers. Hopefully he can surpass me.
"There's a lot of time ahead of him. (I) Wish him to stay healthy and obviously win a lot of titles."
Zverev, younger brother of Tour pro Mischa and now coached by eight-times major champion Ivan Lendl, is yet to go past the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam.
NATURAL FLAIR
That is still the test next year but on Sunday he displayed an added sense of maturity, to go with the natural flair and easy power that have marked him out as a future number one.
His forehand, often regarded as a weakness, was armour-plated and he showed a refreshing willingness to attack the net -- a skill he perhaps has learned from his brother.
Most impressive was that he often prevailed in the long, attritional baseline rallies in which Djokovic has used as the foundation for 14 Grand Slam titles.
The opening eight games resembled a boxing match with both players probing for weaknesses -- although it was evident that Zverev's packed the more powerful punches.
Djokovic, winner of 35 of his last 37 matches during a dominant second half of the year which propelled him back to world number one, had not dropped serve all week and had faced only two break points in his four previous matches.
But at 4-4 he wavered as he yanked an edgy forehand halfway up the net to give Zverev the chance to serve for the set.
Zverev took his opportunity in emphatic fashion -- blasting down three consecutive aces then winning the set when another Djokovic forehand flew long.
An increasingly-ragged Djokovic then dropped his opening two service games of the second set, either side of breaking Zverev for the first time as the German played a rare loose game.
The crowd still expected a Djokovic fight back but it never materialised and at 3-5 the 31-year-old crumbled, serving a double-fault to help Zverev earn two match points.
He saved the first but was left standing as Zverev conjured a stunning backhand to cap a brilliant display.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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LONDON - Roger Federer will walk out on court for his 14th semi at the ATP Finals against David Goffin on Saturday as the hot favourite, with the Swiss veteran bidding for a seventh end-of-season title.
In the absence of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, the event at London's O2 Arena was billed as a potential showdown between Federer and Rafael Nadal, until the Spanish world number one was forced out by injury.
Nadal's withdrawal -- after a punishing three-set defeat by Goffin -- has given a rather lopsided look to the tournament, with Federer facing Goffin in the semis and, if he wins, either Grigor Dimitrov or Jack Sock in the final.
Federer, who has had an extraordinary season since returning to the Tour after a long lay-off in 2016, will not be losing too much sleep over his opponent, whom he has beaten six times out of six, conceding just two sets in those matches.
In fact he has never lost a single match to any of the remaining players in the competition.
The world number two, who has won the ATP Finals a record six times, but not since 2011, said he was relishing his success at the age of 36, but it felt different from his early days.
"In the beginning it was like being a kid in a candy store, sharing the locker room with legends of the game, seeing them prepare, being able to practise with them, playing doubles with or against them," he said. "Special times."
"I'm very calm," Federer added. "But there's a deeper understanding of what I'm going through. So maybe the satisfaction is when I do win and I do show up at the best tournaments in the world, like here, I know it's not normal maybe to be here, so I appreciate it actually maybe even more so now at this age."
For his part, Goffin, who reached the semis after thumping his good friend Dominic Thiem on Friday, is not going into the match full of confidence, despite his victory against Nadal earlier in the week.
"Honestly, I don't know what to do tomorrow," said the 26-year-old Belgian. "But I'm going to try something, something different, something that I've never done in the past."
REVITALIZED DIMITROV
In the other semi-final on Saturday, a revitalised Dimitrov takes on American surprise package Jack Sock, who reached the ATP Finals courtesy of victory at the Paris Masters earlier this month and finished behind Federer in the Boris Becker group.
Dimitrov, 26, topped the Pete Sampras group after an impressive week that included a tight three-set win against Austria's Thiem and a thumping victory against Goffin, punch-drunk after his victory against Nadal.
The sixth-seeded Bulgarian, long touted as a potential member of tennis's elite group, has enjoyed the best season of his career, winning three titles including the Cincinnati Masters.
"I've worked a lot on and off the court," he said. "I felt I've been pretty consistent, playing well. Yeah, I think just a little bit of everything.
"I think every small success we're trying to build on and build on. That's why you're here on that stage right now, because this is what you deserve. Also you get what you put in."
American number one Sock has enjoyed a fairytale few weeks, following up his victory in Paris by beating Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic and shocking world number three Alexander Zverev in London to reach the last four.
"I didn't expect to be in London in the first place," said the 25-year-old. "To be here was a good achievement given the way my second half of the year was going. Paris was a big step for me.
"Now to put myself in the position to play on the weekend is another big step forward, another confidence booster."
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LONDON - The spirit was as strong as ever but Rafael Nadal's troublesome knee failed him in the end as the Spaniard quit the ATP Finals after a painful defeat by Belgium's David Goffin on Monday.
Nadal, at 31 the oldest player to finish a year ranked number one, fought until the last point, saving four match points in a compelling Pete Sampras Group clash, before losing 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-4 in two hours and 37 minutes.
World number eight Goffin, the first player from Belgium to qualify for the year-ending tournament in its 48-year history, was a bundle of nerves at times but finally steadied himself to put Nadal out of his misery with his 14th ace.
Nadal could be seen grimacing as the match wore on, especially when he was forced wide or low, but he still managed to scrap his way back from 4-1 down in the decider, despite apparently playing on one leg.
Minutes after defeat, the 16-times grand slam champion told reporters that he was pulling out of the tournament.
"My season is finished. I had a commitment with the event, with the city, with myself. I tried hard. I did the thing that I had to do to try to be ready to play," Nadal, whose right knee flared up at the recent Paris Masters, said.
The Mallorcan, whose career has been plagued by tendonitis, made a stunning comeback from a wrist injury this year when he reached the Australian Open final, then claimed a 10th French Open title after a three-year grand slam drought.
He then went on to win the U.S. Open and reclaim the world's top ranking for the first time since 2014.
"I really believed that I don't deserve after this great season to spend two more days on court with this terrible feeling, that's all," said Nadal, who will now try to recover for the start of next season.
NIMBLE BELGIAN
Goffin completed a great day for first-time qualifiers after Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov prevailed in a superb tussle with Austrian Dominic Thiem at the 02 Arena.
It was a shame that his first win against a world number one was overshadowed by Nadal's misfortune because the nimble Belgian thoroughly deserved his win, even if he nearly blew it.
"It's the best win of my career," Goffin, who will lead Belgium in the David Cup final against France, said. "It was tough even if he was not moving 100 percent."
Goffin was the better player throughout. He broke Nadal's serve twice in the first set, only to hand back the advantage on both occasions with lame double-faults.
A crunching forehand winner at 5-5 in the tiebreak earned him a set point and Nadal then dumped a backhand into the net.
Another clean winner gave him a 5-3 lead in the second set but again he double-faulted when serving for the match.
His first match point arrived in the next game but he missed a forehand. Goffin had three more when Nadal served at 5-6, 0-40 but the Spaniard produced two magical winners to stay alive before rolling through the tiebreak.
Goffin broke twice to take control of the decider and withstood Nadal's last stand to claim victory.
Earlier Dimitrov beat Thiem 6-3 5-7 7-5 in the so-called "battle of the backhands" despite some late jitters.
The world number six served for the match at 5-4 in the decider but was broken to love before two consecutive double faults by Thiem gave him another chance to close it out.
Again Dimitrov wobbled, squandering two match points at 40-15 with a double-fault and a tight forehand error, but he finally bagged the win when Thiem looped a backhand long.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar / Ian Ransom)
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LONDON - A few hours after old master Roger Federer reminded everyone of his enduring magic, Alexander Zverev, the man leading the next generation of men's tennis, dazzled on his ATP Finals debut.
The 20-year-old German, ranked three in the world, was hot and cold against Croatia's Marin Cilic but, when it mattered most, he produced his best tennis to win 6-4 3-6 6-4.
Zverev, the youngest qualifier for the season-ender for nine years, appeared to be fading after a dazzling start, but surged back in style to join Federer on top of Boris Becker Group.
"It is different walking on here than any other stadium. The crowd, the atmosphere is amazing," Zverev, who revelled on the big stage, told reporters after the late-night finish.
"There were a lot of nerves involved in my first match. Obviously I'm happy that's behind me. I'm happy that I won."
Zverev possesses huge power off the ground, yet it was his finesse at the net which earned him a break in the opening game, picking off a low drop volley that gave Cilic no chance.
His forehand wavered at times as Cilic cleverly tried to take the pace off the ball with some floaty slices, but Zverev closed out the first set with an ace.
Cilic, back in London since his traumatic Wimbledon final defeat by Federer when he broke down in tears as blisters wrecked his big day, then took control.
The big Croat upped his serving and forehand power to level the match and then led 3-1 in the third set.
At 3-2, he was 40-15 up on serve but Zverev, wound-up by an erroneous over-rule, forged back to break with an exquisite lob.
Cilic then dropped serve to love at 4-5 to lose for the sixth time in seven matches at the year-ender.
Zverev, bidding to become the first German to finish the year in the world's top three since Boris Becker in 1994, will face a mouthwatering clash with Federer on Tuesday.
Six-times champion Federer had earlier beaten Jack Sock.
"I think anyone beating Federer in this group has a good chance of (reaching the semi-finals)," Zverev, who beat the Swiss to win this year's Montreal title, his second Masters 1000 title of the year, said.
"But he's the favourite definitely in all of the matches he plays. But I enjoy playing in front of big stages, big crowds."
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar / Ian Ransom)
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PARIS - American Jack Sock snatched the last spot in the eight-man field for the season-ending ATP Finals when he beat Serbian qualifier Filip Krajinovic 5-7 6-4 6-1 to win the Paris Masters title on Sunday.
The 16th-seeded Sock became the first American to win the singles title at the tournament since Andre Agassi in 1999.
Sock, who started the week in 24th position in the Race to London, needed to win the title to leapfrog Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta to ensure he will play in the Nov. 12-19 event in London.
He did just that with a solid performance, wearing down the defence of world number 77 Krajinovic.
"I obviously snuck into ... London unexpectedly so zero pressure on me to go there," said Sock, the first American man to make it into the singles draw of the season-finale since Mardy Fish in 2011.
"I'm going to swing big and play my game, like I always do, and just honestly enjoy the moment."
Sock won his first two service games to love but ran into a spot of bother in the sixth game. He served and volleyed to save a break point but a double fault handed Krajinovic a break and a 4-2 lead.
The American broke straight back but a fine forehand earned the Serb a set point and Sock made a mess of another forehand as his opponent, who defended well, took the lead.
Krajinovic, however, lost his focus and a forehand error gave Sock an early break in the second set. The Serb fell 4-1 behind and could only break back once, Sock levelling for one-set all.
The momentum had shifted and Sock, who will finish the year as the American number one for the first time, raced through the deciding set to claim his maiden Masters title.
Despite the defeat, Krajinovic will climb to a career-high 33 in the rankings on Monday and the 25-year-old is aiming higher.
"I know that I will work even more right now. That's for sure. Pressure is part of the sport," he said.
"Everybody has pressure in life. Of course, I am going to have more. People will expect more from me right now. They see I can do it.
"But if I want to be better, I have to handle that. So I will work on that also. So I hope next year will be better."
(Reporting by Julien Pretot,; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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