Novak Djokovic was able to get the better of Roger Federer for the second time in three days as he started the defence of his ATP World Tour Finals title on Tuesday with a gripping three-set win.
Just 72 hours after their last meeting – a Djokovic victory in the Paris Masters semi-finals – the two old rivals were back in conflict in a group B encounter at London’s O2 Arena, the Serb winning 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 6-2.
Djokovic again had the upper hand as the world No.2 began his bid for a third crown at the season-ending tournament by repeating his victory over Swiss great Federer in last year’s final.
Neither player was at their best, with Federer making 45 unforced errors and Djokovic 33, but the erratic quality of the tennis couldn’t detract from the drama.
Since losing the US Open final to Rafael Nadal in September, Djokovic has played like a man on a mission to erase the bitter aftertaste of that defeat.
This was his 18th consecutive victory since trudging off court as a loser in New York, a run that has brought him titles in Beijing, Shanghai and Paris, and another crown in London looks a distinct possibility.
In contrast, after one of the worst campaigns of his illustrious career, Federer has tumbled to sixth in the world rankings and will fail to finish the year in the top four for the first time since 2002.
Djokovic had risked irking Federer further in the build-up to the match by claiming the Swiss star was “moving maybe slower than he used to”.
Earlier on Tuesday, Nadal moved closer to finishing the year as world No.1 after opening his World Tour Finals campaign with a 6-3 6-2 win over David Ferrer.
Nadal arrived in London still smarting from a surprise loss to fellow Spaniard Ferrer in the Paris semis, but he was quick to avenge that defeat with an emphatic victory in 74 minutes.
The win means the 27-year-old will be guaranteed to end 2013 top of the rankings, ahead of Djokovic, if he beats Tomas Berdych or Stanislas Wawrinka in his remaining group A fixtures.
It will be the third time Nadal has finished a year as No.1, but the first since 2010.
“They are never easy games against David Ferrer, the number three in the world. He is great and having an amazing career,” Nadal said.
“He played a lot better than me in Paris last week but today I played a little bit better than him and it’s important for my confidence to start with a victory after Paris.”
