TENNIS NEWS FROM LONDON WHERE TRADITIONS CONTINUE AS ROGER FEDERER WINS HIS MATCH AT THE ATP BARCLAYS WORLD TOUR FINALS, AND THEN COLLECTS MULTIPLE AWARDS

Written by: Staff on 15th November 2015

TENNIS NEWS FROM LONDON WHERE TRADITIONS CONTINUE AS ROGER FEDERER WINS HIS MATCH AT THE ATP BARCLAYS WORLD TOUR FINALS, AND THEN COLLECTS MULTIPLE AWARDS

epa05027447 Switzerland's Roger Federer receives the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award and the ATPWorldTour.com Fans' Favourite in Singles Award during the ATP World Tour Finals in London, Britain, 15 November 2015. EPA/WILL OLIVER |

By Ricky Dimon

In scenes that are becoming increasingly familiar at the World Tour Finals, Roger Federer not only won a match but also lifted two trophies on Sunday night.

The Swiss kicked off his London campaign by cruising past Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-2 during round-robin action in Group Stan Smith. Federer recovered from an early 2-0 deficit to get the job done in just one hour and nine minutes.

“Thankfully I was able to pick it up,” he said. “It’s hard to blast through an opponent here in London, which I think helps for me against Berdych in this case because I can make the match athletic. As the match went on, I definitely started to play better.”

Afterward, the 17-time major champion and six-time World Tour Finals winner was honored–again–with the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award and the Fan Favorite Award. It is Federer’s 11th Sportsmanship Award and 13th Fan Favorite Award.

“I enjoy getting awards,” the 34-year-old told the crowd during the on-court presentation.

There has, at least, been one competitive match so far.

Proceedings at the O2 got underway on Sunday afternoon with a doubles showdown featuring Great Britain’s own Jamie Murray and his Australian partner John Peers against the Italian duo of Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli. Much to the crowd’s delight, Murray and Peers held off the Australian Open champions 7-6(5), 3-6, 11-9.

“It was a great match,” Murray said. “Really exciting match. I think both teams played well. There [were] a lot of exciting points…. It’s a huge event for us which we’re really excited to be a part of. We worked hard all year to qualify for this tournament.”

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in action against Japan’s Kei Nishikori during their match at the ATP World Tour Finals in London, Britain, 15 November 2015. EPA/WILL OLIVER

Novak Djokovic’s qualification was never in doubt–and a fourth consecutive year-end championship title may not be in much doubt, either. The world No. 1 won his 23rd match in a row by destroying Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-1.

It was the eighth round-robin match of the last 11 at the World Tour Finals in which winner lost five games or fewer.

“I think I was at my best,” Djokovic commented. “I didn’t allow him to dictate the play. I mixed up the pace. I was feeling very comfortable on the court…. Kei, he didn’t perform at his best. I think mostly [it was] because I was playing so well. I wasn’t allowing him to perform at the level where he wanted to be.”

“That could be why I didn’t have a good serve,” Nishikori said when asked if he was 100 percent physically. “I didn’t practice much these last couple of days, especially my serve.”

The Japanese star will go up against Berdych on Tuesday, while Federer and Djokovic are set for a blockbuster head-to-head showdown.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Kei Nishikori, London tennis, Novak Djokovic, Ricky Dimon, Roger Federer, Sports, Tennis, Tomas Berdych, World Tour Finals

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10sBalls_com says:

November 15, 2015 at 3:44 pm

#Tennis News From London Where Traditions Continue As #Federer Wins His Match At The #ATP Barclays #WorldTourFinals
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