Federer to Meet Djokovic in Barclays ATP World Tour Finals
November 12, 2012 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg
Roger Federer will meet Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2012 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London. Federer is seeking his third consecutive title and has a 16-12 lifetime advantage over Djokovic, and each has two wins against the other in four matches this year. Djokovic won the ATP finals in 2008 and reached the semifinals in 2009—the first year the tournament was played at the O2 Arena in London. Last year, Federer became the oldest winner of the year-end finale at the age of 30, and now he’s trying to repeat the feat as a 31-year-old.
"It’s exciting, no doubt about it. I love playing against Novak," said Federer. "He’s had a great year. He’s had a great tournament so far… It is a big opportunity playing sort of the last match of the season, and facing off against Novak obviously is always special, especially here at the World Tour Finals."
In order to reach the finals, Federer defeated third-seeded Andy Murray 7-6(5), 6-2. Murray has now lost in the semifinals in London on three occassions. The top-ranked Djokovic defeated Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. The victory was Djokovic’s 74th of the season, tying him with David Ferrer for the most this year. It was also his seventh win in nine matches against Del Potro.
”He’s so good,” Del Potro said after his loss. ”Of course, he’s the number one. In these kinds of matches, they make the difference between them and the rest of the players.”
