Federer Qualifies For ATP Finals

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 31st October 2013

Federer Qualifies For ATP Finals

epa03925861 Switzerland's Roger Federer cheers after winning his semi final match against Canada's Vasek Pospisil at the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, 26 October 2013. EPA/GEORGIOS KEFALAS |

Roger Federer has finally assured his place at next week’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals but did it in a way hardly befitting of a 17 times Grand Slam champion and the man who has spent more week’s as the world no.1 than anyone else in history.

Federer, currently world no.7, was forced to score a 6-4,6-4 win over South Africa’s Kevin Anderson at the BNP Paribas Masters at Bercy’s Palais de Omnisports in Paris to secure his London place just four days before the World Tour Finals actually begin.

“It’s been a tough year so this is a bit of a highlight,” said Federer who has only won one title, the Gerry Weber Open in Halle just prior to Wimbledon, during the course of 2013. However he has now done enough to equal Ivan Lendl’s record of 12 successive appearances at the season finale.

In various guises, most of them the Tennis Masters Cup, Federer has gone on to win the calendar ending event six times and he added: “It’s a good feeling now that my place is secure after a tough few months trying to qualify. This is the best I’ve felt since Dubai in February.

Until he served for the match against Anderson, Federer was composed, confident and calculating. However he suffered a nervous glitch before rounding out the victory that assures him of a place in London alongside Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer, Juan Martin Del Potro and Tomas Berdych.

“I had to get up a few times this year after being knocked down,” continued. Although it has been tough, right now the details are small. I am delighted to have reached the finals again, it was one of the goals I set myself at the start of the year. I was pleased with the way I made my decisions tonight. I was very clear cut.

““Is my game where I want to be? No. But I definitely feel an improvement over Basel (where he lost in Sunday’s final to Del Potro).

“It’s not because I can’t make a forehand anymore. It’s because I had physical injuries, and I still played in spite of the injuries because I’m not going into a corner and waiting for four months. Little by little I lost my confidence in my movements, in my game. But it was not that bad, because I just qualified for London.”

Federer will be joined in London by his Swiss compatriot and close friend Stanislas Wawrinka if he defeats Nicolas Almagro, of Spain at Bercy today.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Atp, Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, David Ferrer, Juan Martin Del Potro, Kevin Anderson, Nicolas Almagro, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Stanislas Wawrinka, Tennis, Tennis News, Tomas Berdych