Roger Federer after losing to Dominic Thiem in straight sets, came back stronger to beat Berrettini and had his familiar foe Novak Djokovic standing in the way.
For Novak Djokovic, who defeated Berrettini in the first match, went down fighting against Thiem. That loss pushed him to the verge of losing the year-end number one to Rafa Nadal.
It was a do-or-die contest between Federer and Djokovic took the centre stage after the group’s first semi-finalist Thiem lost to Berrettini in straight sets, followed by Tsistipas winning against Zverev.
Federer rose to the occasion and did the necessary changes to stay in the hunt and it worked well for him. His average serve speed was higher than what it was in the whole week and also he was making sure to end the shots as quickly as possible.
He certainly was spot on with the serve. He had 12 aces, won 81 per cent of the first points. Also, he was able to convert breakpoints at the right time.
Undoubtedly, it is one of Federer’s best performance this year and this victory is sweet for sure as it comes over Djokovic for the first time since 2015, at the place where he lost the epic final this year.
Talking about what he did differently, Federer joked that he won the match point.
On a lighter now, this victory means so much to Nadal fans as well. Nadal once again will finish the year as the world number one.
