Federer defeats Djokovic, enters ATP Finals semi-finals

The Swiss player defeated the world number one player with two sets, winning 7-5, 6-2, in the second match of the Stan Smith group on November 17.

Sports fans turned to London on the night of November 17 for two notable matches. At Wembley Stadium, England took on France in a symbolic friendly after Friday's tragedy in Paris. 45 km away at the O2 Arena, tennis fans focused on the confrontation between world number one, "undefeated" Novak Djokovic and tennis legend Roger Federer.

Federer (right) has cut Djokovic's winning streak. Photo: KQ.

Federer won two of their six meetings in 2015, but beating the Serbian is not going to be easy at the moment, as he is in such good form. Before their meeting at the ATP World Tour Finals last night, Djokovic had won 15 consecutive matches in the final tournament of the year and had won 23 consecutive matches recently. The last person to beat Djokovic was Federer, in the Cincinnati final. The Djoker's record was halted by the 34-year-old, who showed up in London sporting a new beard. The father of four's wild, untamed look may have been part of the father of four's night of glory.

Federer not only won, but won quickly: in just 77 minutes in two sets. Serving well and coming to the net often helped the world number three win quickly. He scored six aces, won 75% of his first serve points, and had four breaks in eight opportunities. The first set was quite tense, with both players serving well. Federer was the one to finally take the lead, winning 7-5. He carried his confidence into the second set, scoring 19 winners and finishing 6-2.

"I didn't play any crazy tactics today. It was just straight-up, like I did against him in the past," Federer said. "Winning the first set obviously gives you an advantage and the important thing was that I won again in the second set, as quickly as I could."

Rarely has Djokovic lost his form so much when his unforced errors outnumbered his winners (22 and 12). Break opportunities were also very few with only three, successfully taking advantage of one.

"You always have days like this, when you're not at your best," Djokovic said. "I have to compliment Federer. He controlled the speed of the ball very well, used a lot of different shots. He had smart slices and spins. I also made a lot of mistakes and gave him the victory. That's sport, there are days when you lose. But this is a round-robin tournament, so I still have a chance to go through."

Federer rarely wears a beard when competing. Photo: KQ.

Winning both of his first matches, Federer has booked his place in the semi-finals of the ATP Finals. Djokovic still has a chance to defend his title if he wins his final match against Tomas Berdych. The Czech lost both of his first matches, against Federer and Kei Nishikori.

According to VNE