ATP Finals: Roger Federer relishing Novak Djokovic reunion after Wimbledon heartbreak

Joe Krishnan9 November 2019

It was less than six months ago when Roger Federer felt the heartbreak of losing one of the most memorable Grand Slam finals in history.

It was Wimbledon, a place that has for so long felt like home to the man from the Swiss town of Basel. It was a match that neither player deserved to lose, not just for the gritty endurance on show but also the ludicrously high level of quality throughout.

Of course, it was to be Novak Djokovic's day in the southwest London sun as the Serbian fought back from two match points down to overcome his friendly rival in a gruelling battle.

If there was a pure example to show the tightest of margins, this was it: five sets; four hours and 57 minutes on court.

Indeed, the final set concluded at 13-12 after some astonishing tennis that was so good the majority of the Centre Court spectators left with their jaws scraping along the pavement in SW19.

And Federer recognises that very fact: "Wimbledon was epic. It's not going to be like that same epic here because it's best of three sets, but that was a special match for both of us. Maybe it was a bit more special for him than me but that's OK, I moved on a long time ago."

Federer and Djokovic played out one of the greatest finals in history  Photo: Getty Images
Getty Images

Now, by the luck of the draw in the end-of-season finale at the ATP Finals in London, Federer and Djokovic draw their swords again one more time before hibernating over the winter - and even a seasoned veteran like Federer can't help but get look forward to it.

"Obviously playing on grass, there's different playing styles and it's pretty quick here, I've already been on the court," he explained. "So it will be interesting indoors to focus maybe more on my serve rather than what your opponent does. But to be frank, I'm excited to play against Novak."

Few could've expected their meeting to take place so early in the tournament, or at least before the semi-finals. Federer has won the tournament six times before but not since 2011, while Djokovic took the baton for four years straight until Andy Murray triumphed in 2016.

Djokovic will be on a high going into the clash after his Paris Masters success, and he faces Matteo Berrettini in his opening match on Sunday afternoon.

Federer boasts an incredible record on indoor courts, winning 296 matches - nearly double his nearest competitor Djokovic's 149 - but the humble Swiss legend claimed he wasn't even aware of his dominant form on the surface.

Federer on the practice court at the O2 Arena  Photo: Getty Images
Getty Images

Will that experience give him the upper hand when he comes against the Serbian? "I hope so," he joked.

"He can play OK indoors too, it's not like his record is non-existent or like he's so much worse. I don't think his is worse than mine because I don't know exactly what mine is. Honestly, I'm very excited to playing Novak again here, I'm happy to be in his group."

Faced with the prospect of playing Djokovic in the group stages and then, potentially, a semi-final against Nadal awaits if he progresses, Federer is keen to end his season on a high with an indoor title, which provides a pleasant throwback to when he first joined the tour 20 years ago.

"Of course it would be nice [to win]. I think indoors is more of a nostalgic thing for me as well when I first went onto the tour, I was playing at challenger level and then tour level, and I got up the rankings with indoors.

"I feel comfortable regardless of which court I go to but it's nice to go home some days and it feels the same here. I've felt great so far and the court plays nice so I'm sure we'll see some great tennis.

"I get pretty good support wherever I go and I don't ask for it. If it happens, great, but if not then I understand. What I like about tennis fans for the most part is that they're very polite and very supportive. At the 02 here I can't complain, they've been wonderful and I hope that'll be the case again this year."

At the ripe age of 38, Federer has things to think about now other than just tennis. He pulled out of the ATP Cup in November, effectively ending Switzerland's hopes of participating in the competition, in order to spend more time with his wife, Mirka, and four children before he begins preparations for the 2020 campaign.

But the veteran insists he won't be harmed by passing up on a chance to play in a warm-up tournament, vowing to devote more time to preparing for the Australian Open - the first Grand Slam of the calendar year in January 2020.

The Swiss is looking forward to playing Djokovic at the ATP Finals  Photo: Getty Images
Getty Images

"I think with age and experience I can be confident about the training and I can travel to Melbourne early to make sure I give myself the best chance to be ready," he added.

"I believe I can be ready. I don't think I need a lot of matches, just some practice on the hard court, maybe a bit more will depend on the draw. If I'm healthy, I know what can be achieved."

Those who have their doubts? Just ask Djokovic.

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