We take a look at the Bjorn Borg Group from the ATP Tour’s ATP Finals taking place at O2 Arena, London, England.
ATP Tour 2019 | ATP Finals
Andre Agassi Group | O2 Arena, London, England (Indoor Hardcourt)
Tuesday 12 November 2019
Roger Federer (1/6)
vs Matteo Berrettini (15/4)
Sunday proved to be a baptism of fire for ATP Finals newbie Matteo Berretinni. He was absolutely obliterated by Novak Djokovic, actually losing eight straight games at one point. Let’s hope that his nerves will have settled somewhat for this encounter. He will clearly have to deal with a massive Federer crowd bias. But Berrettini just has to remember what got him to this place. It has been a sensational year for the 23-year-old Italian. He won in Stuttgart and Hungary, but it has been the last few months that have really showcased his potential. Back-to-back semi-finals in Shanghai and Flushing Meadows showed a growing maturity at the highest possible level. He further underlined his indoor credentials with a semi-final showing at the Vienna Open. One thing that could work in his favour is the pressure on Federer’s shoulders. The Swiss maestro is also coming off a loss and will be treating this as pure knockout fare.
Federer still clings on to the title of most ATP Finals titles, with six to his name. Crucially, only two of those victories have come in London. His last victory here came back in 2011. It’s been a strange year for Federer. It seems as if dropping those two match-points in the Wimbledon Final will ultimately define his 2019 campaign. It’s a shame, because the Swiss master has still captured four titles this season. He recently captured yet another Swiss Indoors title, further underscoring his status as perhaps the greatest indoor hardcourt player of all time – just don’t remind Marin Cilic. Federer was competitive against Thiem, he just couldn’t quite match the Austrian in the crucial moments. It recalled that disappointing defeat at this year’s Indian Wells Final.
This will only be the 2nd time that these two would have met. Federer won in straight sets at Wimbledon earlier this year. I think that a straight sets victory for Federer is the only sensible option here. That seems fair at 11/20. Berrettini looks slightly out of his depth in this illustrious competition.
Novak Djokovic (2/11)
vs Dominic Thiem (7/2)
Novak Djokovic must be wondering how he let that World Number One ranking slip this year. Djokovic captured two Grand Slam titles this year and a further three titles. He only recently captured another Masters 1000 title in Paris. Yet the Serbian needs Nadal to do him a favour should he reclaim the World Number One spot. Djokovic will be fully aware that the Spanish bulldog lost to Alex Zverev in straight sets. Djokovic will be looking to equal Federer’s haul of six ATP Finals titles this year. Djokovic has won four of those titles in London but last captured success here in 2015. Djokovic’s year seems to have been defined by that 4th round retirement at Flushing Meadows. Many felt that the Serb was not fully committed. His performance in Paris debunked that myth and he should be fully prepared for the challenge of Dominic Thiem.
It’s been quite a strange season in terms of how many players have won multiple titles. Dominic Thiem has actually had an exceptional year, capturing four titles in the process. He reached the final at Roland Garros and memorably defeated Roger Federer to claim the Indian Wells title. That title was absolutely critical in broadening his reputation beyond that of clay-court aficionado. He recently won in Vienna and enters this match off the back of a sensational victory over Federer. Thiem could have been forgiven for feeling somewhat short-sided by a draw that put him alongside Federer and Djokovic. But the Austrian seems to carry a newly minted self-belief of late. He has started to evolve on hard courts, opting not to play clay-court tennis on faster surfaces. He has started to make much better use of that formidable forehand. This should be a blockbuster encounter between two players who know each other vividly.
This will be their 10th meeting, with Djokovic leading the head-to-head 6-3. However, Thiem has won three of their last four encounters. But all of those victories came on clay. They have met once in London before, with Djokovic winning in three sets in 2016. Thiem has come on in leaps and bounds this year and actually looks brilliant value at 7/2. The title at Indian Wells leads me to believe he is capable of beating anyone on any surface.
