RICKY’S PICKS AND HIS PREVIEW FOR THE BARCLAYS ATP TENNIS WORLD TOUR FINALS IN LONDON FOR THE BIG TITLE MATCH ON SUNDAY. IT’S DJOKOVIC VS. FEDERER

Written by: Staff on 21st November 2015

RICKY'S PICKS AND HIS PREVIEW FOR THE BARCLAYS ATP TENNIS WORLD TOUR FINALS IN LONDON FOR THE BIG TITLE MATCH ON SUNDAY. IT'S DJOKOVIC VS. FEDERER

epa05036469 Switzerland's Roger Federer arrives for his semi final match against his compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka at the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament in London, Britain, 21 November 2015. EPA/ANDY RAIN |

By Ricky Dimon

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will be facing each other for the 44th time in their careers–and for the second time at these 2015 World Tour Finals–when they battle for the year-end title on Sunday evening.

Federer went ahead 22-21 in the head-to-head series by upsetting Djokovic 7-5, 6-2 during Group Stan Smith competition on Tuesday. The 34-year-old broke Djokovic a whopping four times in 10 return games and won a hard-to-believe 49 percent of the points even when the top seed put his first serve in play.

Despite that result, Djokovic has still won four of their seven meetings this season. He triumphed 7-6(1), 6-7(10), 6-4, 6-3 in the Wimbledon final and 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to lift the U.S. Open trophy. In addition to his London victory earlier this week, Federer also prevailed in Dubai (6-3, 7-5) and Cincinnati (7-6(1), 6-3).

When two rivals have squared off on 43 previous occasions, there are certainly no secrets–especially not when the 42nd encounter came just five days prior to this upcoming showdown.

The only real question is which Djokovic is going to take the court. Aside from an opening beatdown of Kei Nishikori, the world No. 1 mostly sleepwalked through round-robin action. But when the tournament brought a do-or-die situation to the table on semifinal Saturday, the three-time defending champion picked up the pace and rolled over Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-3.

“I don’t feel unbeatable, but it does definitely feel great when I’m playing the way I played today,” Djokovic said after beating Nadal. “When I feel like I’m dictating the pace, the match itself, most of the rallies, I feel like I’m on top of my opponent.”

Whereas Djokovic has been all over the map inside the O2, Federer has been rock-solid the whole way without any significant forays to one or the other extreme. The Swiss is undefeated at 4-0 with victories over Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori, and Stan Wawrinka to go along with his defeat of Djokovic. He dismissed his countryman 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals on Saturday night.

Switzerland’s Roger Federer serves to his compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka during their semi final match of the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament in London, Britain, 21 November 2015. EPA/ANDY RAIN

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in action against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic during the ATP Tour tennis finals tournament at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, 19 November 2015. EPA/ANDY RAIN

“For me it’s an advantage because it gives me a bit of confidence,” Federer said when asked about what the Tuesday result means for Sunday’s final. “For him it’s an advantage because he gets a second chance. He’s played some great tennis since we played. So I still believe his confidence is slightly higher than mine.”

“We always play matches with a lot of tension,” Djokovic added. “There is a lot at stake. I know I have to be [in top form] in order to win against him. Hopefully I’ll be able to play better than [I did] a few days ago. But the performance [against Nadal] definitely gives me reason to believe that I’ll do that.”

The top seed was more motivated quite simply much better than he had been previously this week. Federer will undoubtedly play well in this one, but this just seems like Djokovic’s year–because it is Djokovic’s year.

If Djokovic plays like he did against Nadal (and that will in all likelihood be the case), he will be too tough.

Rickys Pick: Djokovic in 2

Lovey Jergens And Frankie And Alex All Pick Federer in two or Three not sure. Think straights. (10sballs Triangle Team)

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

Topics: 10sballs.com, ATP Finals, Men's tennis, Novak Djokovic, Ricky Dimon, Roger Federer, Tennis, World Tour Finals

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10sBalls_com says:

November 21, 2015 at 5:02 pm

@Dimonator ‘s Picks And His Preview For The Barclays #ATPFinals In London For The Big Title Match On Sunday
https://t.co/eR0VzsgGJd #Tennis