Federer injured, Djokovic won ATP Finals for the third consecutive time
The Swiss world number two had to withdraw from the final due to a back injury, so Novak Djokovic was awarded the Cup before playing an exhibition match against Andy Murray on the center court of London's O2 arena, Sunday evening, November 16.
The center court, with a capacity of about 17,000, was packed with spectators to watch the final match, considered "The battle between two giants", including the family of Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho. However, just before the match, Roger Federer only appeared a few minutes to apologize to the crowd of fans. The 33-year-old tennis player announced that he had a back injury and could not play the final match of this year's ATP World Tour Finals. He then waved to the audience, signed some autographs before leaving the court.
Federer had earlier informed the media of his decision to withdraw shortly after the organizers had presented the men's doubles title to American twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan.
Federer waves to the audience. Photo: AP.
“I am very sorry that I am not fit enough to play the final. I hope you will understand and sympathize with me. I will be there on the court to apologize and explain to the fans. I did everything I could. I even took painkillers, tried to rest and consider the situation until the last minute. But I simply cannot play against Novak in this condition in a competition of this level. At my age, trying to ignore an injury and compete at all costs would be very risky,” emphasized the tennis player who has won 17 Grand Slam titles and six ATP Finals titles.
After the Swiss player apologized to the fans, Novak Djokovic walked to the center of the court to receive the Champion's Cup, then participated in an exhibition match with the British player - Andy Murray. This is the third consecutive title of the world number one Serbian at the prestigious year-end tournament, equaling the record of Ivan Lendl - who won the ATP Finals five times, including three consecutive times from 1985 to 1987.
“Obviously this is not the way I wanted to win. The ATP Finals title is a great reward, but at this point and in this situation it is difficult to talk about it. I am not the type of player who can celebrate victories in this way easily. But I consider this Cup a worthy reward and a reflection of my efforts throughout the season. I am happy to be here again and to finish the tournament with the title,” Djokovic said after receiving the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals Cup.
Djokovic with the final championship in 2014. Photo: AFP.
Federer was unable to play in the final, mainly because of the tense three-set semi-final against world number four Stan Wawrinka that lasted nearly three hours on Saturday night. The Grand Slam king had to save four match points before winning 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(8-6), in what was considered the most exciting and technically high-quality match of the tournament.
Federer has been plagued by back injuries since the 2013 season, which limited him to an eighth-place start. He has since returned to the number two spot in the world, and is still in contention to battle Djokovic for the year-end ATP rankings ahead of the ATP Finals. He showed signs of a recurrence of the injury late in the semi-final against Wawrinka. Federer was only able to attend the media briefing after Saturday night's semi-final after receiving treatment from the medical team. He was absent from practice at the O2 Arena on Sunday afternoon.
According to VNE
