:00:37. > :00:47.This is day one of the season ending showdown in men's tennis.
:00:47. > :00:53.
:00:53. > :01:03.Only the top eight up in London for We have travelled vast distances to
:01:03. > :01:07.
:01:07. > :01:17.be here. Across continents we have risen to every challenge. After the
:01:17. > :01:18.
:01:18. > :01:28.glory of the Grand Slams... magic of the Masters 1000s...
:01:28. > :01:28.
:01:28. > :01:38.the triumphs of the day... And now London is calling. Many began, just
:01:38. > :01:41.
:01:41. > :01:51.a few remain. To be the last man standing... Wouldn't that be
:01:51. > :02:02.
:02:02. > :02:08.something! Just one question A very good afternoon to you from
:02:08. > :02:13.the O2. These World Tour finals are a fantastic end-of-season finale.
:02:13. > :02:17.It is only the top eight players who are here. It is across all
:02:17. > :02:22.tournaments, including the four Grand Slams and the nine Masters
:02:22. > :02:26.tournaments. The eight players are split into two round-robin groups.
:02:26. > :02:32.The winners and runners up from those round-robin groups go through
:02:32. > :02:36.to the semi-final and a final. All will become clear. They could be
:02:36. > :02:41.some mathematics, we will see. Tim Henman is with me in the studio.
:02:41. > :02:46.You were part of this twice. What does it feel like from the
:02:46. > :02:50.perspective of a player? It is a fantastic achievement and fantastic
:02:50. > :02:59.reflection on your performance of that given here. There are no two
:02:59. > :03:07.ways of qualifying, no while cars - - wild cards. It is what he set out
:03:07. > :03:17.for at the beginning of the year. Behind us is a doubles match. The
:03:17. > :03:23.
:03:23. > :03:30.doubles guys have just finished. Max Mirnyi and Max Napster have
:03:30. > :03:34.finished. -- Daniel Nestor have finished. They beat the Indian pair.
:03:34. > :03:40.Next up is Roger Federer against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. They're a two
:03:40. > :03:46.of the most exciting players. Roger has to be favoured to win this one,
:03:46. > :03:51.doesn't he? It is an uncomfortable match for him. Some there is so
:03:51. > :03:57.powerful and so athletic. A lot of the time you feel that Roger can
:03:57. > :04:00.dictate the outcome. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has showed on a couple of
:04:00. > :04:06.occasions that he is dangerous. Reflecting on the match at
:04:06. > :04:13.Wimbledon, he was able to come out on top. Roger is down to at No.
:04:13. > :04:19.Four in the world at the moment. He is five-times champion. He is in
:04:20. > :04:29.Group B at the moment. This is the group the matches come from today.
:04:29. > :04:36.Tomorrow it is Murray at 2pm. The Top Frenchman is world No. 6. Later
:04:36. > :04:41.on it is Nadal up against Fish. They're in the same group.
:04:41. > :04:43.Congratulations to Mardy Fish. It is his first time at the World Tour
:04:43. > :04:49.is his first time at the World Tour finals. It is a great achievement.
:04:49. > :04:54.He has come in towards the latter end of his career. He is 30 years
:04:54. > :05:00.of age. It is a great reflection of how consistent he has played. He
:05:00. > :05:04.had a lot of success on a hard court in America. He has had a few
:05:04. > :05:12.injuries but hopefully he has had a chance to recover. Later on this
:05:12. > :05:22.week we will be watching the Dom against Federer. This is the other
:05:22. > :05:23.
:05:23. > :05:27.group. -- Nadal. Andy Murray has just gone up to world No. 3. I must
:05:27. > :05:37.tell you that Murray, the only winning record he has against any
:05:37. > :05:41.
:05:41. > :05:48.of those players, is against Ferrer. We will kick it off tomorrow
:05:48. > :05:53.afternoon with Murray against Ferrer. Roger Federer has had so
:05:53. > :05:59.many career years. He has had so many years where he has lit up the
:05:59. > :06:05.World of Tennis. This year people are talking about him being average
:06:05. > :06:12.- somehow mediocre. I do not think he sees it that way. Not at all. He
:06:12. > :06:18.set the bar so high. He has lost a couple of those matches where he
:06:18. > :06:24.has won them in the past. At Wimbledon he was up two sets to
:06:24. > :06:32.left. Against never Djokovic he had two match points in of this set. He
:06:32. > :06:42.has had a few tough losses. -- the 5th set. A lot of people would take
:06:42. > :06:47.his year. World ranking number four. He has spent so young -- so long in
:06:48. > :06:57.the top two. He comes in as five- times champion with something to
:06:58. > :07:02.
:07:02. > :07:05.It has been a tough year. I have had some brutal losses. I felt my
:07:05. > :07:11.game was good enough to do some serious damage and to win some of
:07:11. > :07:21.the biggest titles. Maybe I did not win momentum. I was never allowed
:07:21. > :07:25.
:07:25. > :07:31.to do that. I made mistakes. Novak Djokovic played an amazing season.
:07:31. > :07:36.Considering, I think I did really well. Maybe it does not reflect
:07:36. > :07:46.sometimes. He does not have a lot to prove. Roger does not play for
:07:46. > :07:48.
:07:48. > :07:56.records. He did not know he won his eight and Rick's career match. --
:07:56. > :08:02.800th. With a player like Roger, it is inevitable you're going to be
:08:02. > :08:09.breaking records along the way. He has had 59 victories the Shia and
:08:09. > :08:14.no losses. People are trying to question his levels. -- this year.
:08:14. > :08:18.Golfers always say, when they could have scored better, which is just
:08:18. > :08:25.about every single time, as you well know. They always say when
:08:25. > :08:32.they come off the course, they could have been two or three shots
:08:32. > :08:38.lower. Federer has had one up of those years. He left a few matches
:08:38. > :08:43.out there. He has done such a good job of winning those in the big
:08:43. > :08:48.matches, in the big tournaments. This year, the semi-finals of the
:08:48. > :08:53.US opens to have two match points on his serve when Djokovic hit that
:08:53. > :08:58.incredible return. I think his performance in the last couple of
:08:58. > :09:06.weeks, indoors he won in Basel, he won the Masters Open in Paris. He
:09:06. > :09:11.will be ready to go. He knows what he is facing in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
:09:11. > :09:18.He can force the match. He can almost blow you off the court and
:09:18. > :09:28.there is nothing you can do. This is his year. He has risen to No. 6
:09:28. > :09:47.
:09:47. > :09:57.in the world, based on his It has been a very good year.
:09:57. > :10:00.
:10:00. > :10:06.Indoors, dust recently, he has won. You are not the new boy it anymore,
:10:06. > :10:13.so you are not so nervous question I am really happy to be here.
:10:13. > :10:18.nervous? It was difficult to qualify this year. I have done a
:10:18. > :10:24.great job since the beginning of the year. I'm happy to play here. I
:10:24. > :10:34.will enjoy this moment for sure. Getting into the top eight, it is
:10:34. > :10:34.
:10:34. > :10:40.very difficult. What does it mean to you? It is really good. When you
:10:40. > :10:46.finish in the top eight, it is because you made a lot of
:10:46. > :10:51.sacrifices. You practise a lot and you play well. We are looking
:10:51. > :10:56.forward to seeing that celebration dance this week. Why did you start
:10:56. > :11:02.doing that? I started doing that because come at the first time I
:11:02. > :11:09.entered into the top 100, I plays. I've played against Lleyton Hewitt
:11:09. > :11:15.to enter the world top 100. I won this match. At the end of this
:11:15. > :11:19.match, I decided to do this, I do not know why. The English crowd
:11:19. > :11:26.loves it. I thought, OK, the English crowd loves it, everyone
:11:26. > :11:31.will love it. You have a tough group. It will always be difficult.
:11:31. > :11:41.You have beaten Federer and Nadal this year. You must think you can
:11:41. > :11:43.
:11:43. > :11:50.beat them again. I have already beaten them this year. I expect to
:11:50. > :11:56.win some matches, of course. He has an absolutely charming smile and
:11:56. > :12:02.man about him. To actually play against him, what is it like to
:12:02. > :12:08.feel the force of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga coming at you? It is an
:12:08. > :12:14.intimidating force. He is so athletic come up so physical. Some
:12:14. > :12:20.of the technical aspects of his game, you would not say they are so
:12:20. > :12:28.sound. Because he is athletic, he can get away with it. He can
:12:28. > :12:33.generate enough power on the court. He has been likened to Muhammad Ali,
:12:33. > :12:37.certainly in terms of physical stature of, he has it. The
:12:37. > :12:41.introductions are about to be made at the O2. He does not like to be
:12:41. > :12:50.too structured about the way he plays well stuck he likes to let it
:12:50. > :12:56.blow and see what comes out of his racket. -- he plays. He can blow
:12:56. > :13:06.Federer off the court. Unlikely, but he is capable. This apposite is
:13:06. > :13:13.
:13:13. > :13:15.right up his street. -- atmosphere. Two groups of four. This is the
:13:15. > :13:22.first singles match at the Buckley's ATP World Tour finals. It
:13:22. > :13:26.is a superb 17th 1500 seat arena for these players, as they make
:13:26. > :13:32.their way through to the curtains, where they will be held before
:13:32. > :13:42.being introduced to the crowd. It is beautifully staged we are glad
:13:42. > :13:57.
:13:57. > :14:07.it is in England's capital city. You can see from the smiles on the
:14:07. > :14:07.
:14:07. > :14:57.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:14:57. > :15:04.players' faces, how much they Looking typically overwrought,
:15:04. > :15:09.Roger Federer. The Panther takes to the court at the O2. I swear he'd
:15:09. > :15:18.just strolls a little bit slower, year by year. He has done it all
:15:18. > :15:23.the 4th. Earlier on this week, he was practising with Tim Henman, who
:15:23. > :15:29.is with me in the studio boss dub if Roger can deal with my forehand,
:15:29. > :15:36.he has nothing to worry about with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. You saw both
:15:36. > :15:41.players walking out. They both look incredibly relaxed. It is a
:15:42. > :15:48.different format with the round robin. The person who loses can
:15:48. > :15:56.still go through to the semi-finals. If you win, it sets you are nicely.
:15:56. > :16:06.A lot to played for this afternoon. -- sets you are nicely. We are
:16:06. > :16:08.
:16:08. > :16:15.kicking off with Federer against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. You have 25
:16:15. > :16:25.seconds between the points. If you want to make a challenge, tried to
:16:25. > :16:29.
:16:29. > :16:39.it in a timely manner. Any Questions? Heads is called. Tails.
:16:39. > :16:49.
:16:49. > :16:56.There is just confirmation that the coin used does have a heads and a
:16:56. > :17:00.tails. Everyone is on show here. That is good work. I like the
:17:00. > :17:07.attitude of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga about not having a coach, not being
:17:07. > :17:14.in a structure. He likes to play freely and have a flow. What should
:17:14. > :17:19.his game plan B? He has to have a hot streak. We see that flare in
:17:19. > :17:27.all sports. When they are on, they are difficult to beat. If he stuck
:17:27. > :17:34.struggling with his backhand and does not make enough first serves,
:17:34. > :17:39.he will struggle. They were playing in Paris at the last of the Masters
:17:40. > :17:49.series event of the year just seven days ago. Federer had never won
:17:50. > :17:50.
:17:50. > :17:56.this event before. He got the victory. He is in absolutely
:17:56. > :18:06.cracking form. It had been very different earlier this year, at
:18:06. > :18:13.
:18:13. > :18:21.Wimbledon. Do you remember this I felt I was playing well. I felt
:18:21. > :18:26.like I got a bit of a lucky break. He clipped the line and ended up
:18:26. > :18:34.turning the whole match around. From that moment, I was just
:18:34. > :18:44.playing so well. I was two sets down. Even me, I was not sure to
:18:44. > :18:54.
:18:54. > :19:00.come back. I did it and it was just Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is looking to
:19:00. > :19:08.turn this into a massive match. No one is going to beat him in a
:19:08. > :19:13.muscle match. That is it! He causes the upset of the tournament.
:19:13. > :19:20.Wilfried Tsonga was unplayable almost. Every time I had a slight
:19:20. > :19:29.chance, he would shut the door on me. It was a special feeling for me
:19:29. > :19:38.to beat Roger on Centre Court. It was really nice. I am sure it was
:19:38. > :19:47.really nice. He would go on to lose to Novak Djokovic in the semi-final.
:19:47. > :19:52.A head-to-head between Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, it is 4-2 to
:19:52. > :19:59.Federer. They played in Rome earlier this year. There is the
:19:59. > :20:09.Wimbledon victory. It is the first time that Federer had lost from two
:20:09. > :20:15.sets up and lost. In Montreal, Jo- Wilfried Tsonga or won. In the US
:20:15. > :20:23.Open, in the quarter-final, Federer won. There was the victory in Paris
:20:23. > :20:30.just a week ago, so it is relevant. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga attacked second
:20:30. > :20:36.serves, served big and used all his athleticism but it was not enough.
:20:36. > :20:41.We are going to the commentary box now. When you look at the context
:20:41. > :20:46.of this match, it is a different scenario. It is not the first round
:20:46. > :20:55.match where, if you lose, you go home. Both players will be keen to
:20:55. > :21:00.stamp their authority. Federer will be looking to get off to a fast
:21:00. > :21:06.start. If Jo-Wilfried Tsonga can dominate play, using his big serve
:21:06. > :21:12.and big forehand, it will be fascinating to see how things
:21:12. > :21:17.unfold. When you practised with Federer, earlier this week, was it
:21:17. > :21:21.on this court? They put down two great practice courts at the
:21:21. > :21:28.Queen's Club, which is a bit more convenient for the players to get
:21:28. > :21:33.to from the hotel. They have the same surface and a couple more
:21:33. > :21:39.courts. What was the one at Queen's like? I asked Roger about the
:21:39. > :21:44.comparison between here and Paris, which was the same surface. It was
:21:44. > :21:49.dictated by how many coats of paint that put on top of it. The more
:21:49. > :21:54.paint, the slower it becomes because it is abrasive. This was
:21:54. > :22:02.quicker and livelier. It took the spin a bit more. I think he would
:22:02. > :22:11.like that. He likes the ball coming on to him. He does not have to
:22:11. > :22:18.worry. It will also hope -- help Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The surface
:22:18. > :22:23.suits all the players, pretty much equally. David for rare is a slow
:22:23. > :22:29.court player but it gives everybody a fair go. -- David Ferrer. If
:22:29. > :22:33.you're trying to go to the aid to, there are some tickets available.
:22:33. > :22:38.The managing director of the tournament says that there are
:22:38. > :22:48.tickets available for tomorrow afternoon if you would like to see
:22:48. > :22:49.
:22:49. > :22:59.Andy Marriott opening up his campaign. That it is Roger's wife
:22:59. > :23:00.
:23:00. > :23:04.and, presumably, the two girls. There is Thierry Henry next to her.
:23:04. > :23:09.I wonder if that might be something to do with the sponsor or perhaps
:23:09. > :23:16.they are great friends. I remember Tiger Woods being in his camp at
:23:16. > :23:20.the US Open. It is a great seat to watch from. I just wish he would
:23:20. > :23:26.join Robin van Persie up front again at the Emirates. It was a
:23:26. > :23:32.good result against Norwich yesterday. Just to put this event
:23:32. > :23:38.into context in world tennis, they rub the four Grand Slam
:23:38. > :23:43.championships, Australian Open, French Open, US Open and French
:23:43. > :23:50.Open. They are the four majors. The event that sits just beneath them
:23:50. > :23:55.but utterly unique in its format is the ATP World Tour finals. It is
:23:55. > :23:59.split into two groups of four and they play in a round-robin format.
:23:59. > :24:05.The winners of the group and the runner up after all matches are
:24:05. > :24:12.played goes through to the semi- finals and possibly a final next
:24:12. > :24:20.Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So, it is the sort of format to play when you
:24:20. > :24:26.are a kid. Everyone plays everyone. When you are a kid, you do not get
:24:26. > :24:33.$1.6 million if you go undefeated. A first singles match at the O2
:24:33. > :24:43.this year. The defending champion, at the five time defending champion,
:24:43. > :24:43.
:24:43. > :25:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:25:48. > :25:58.the five-time champion here, is The coach of Federer now, for many
:25:58. > :26:06.
:26:06. > :26:11.that of Tim Henman. -- formerly. UMPIRE: Game, Federer! He also used
:26:11. > :26:18.to coach Pete Sampras as well. He knows a bit about playing on a
:26:18. > :26:28.surface like this. He was a five- time champion of this season ending
:26:28. > :26:28.
:26:28. > :28:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:28:13. > :28:23.Match of the week Nadal against The mother and father of Jo-
:28:23. > :28:38.
:28:38. > :28:44.Wilfried Tsonga are here. It is His father moved to France to play
:28:44. > :28:54.professional handball from central Africa. He was the finest and will
:28:54. > :29:10.
:29:10. > :29:20.His second cousin is Charles N'Zogbia. He comes from an athletic
:29:20. > :29:20.
:29:20. > :30:33.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:30:33. > :30:39.Tsonga doing well to stay in this rally, Federer will be disappointed
:30:39. > :30:49.to miss, such a routine backhand volley. 30-30 just a half chance
:30:49. > :31:01.
:31:01. > :31:06.It is a bit defensive on that backhand side. Probably feels he
:31:06. > :31:16.could have made a slightly more aggressive play at that ball but
:31:16. > :31:16.
:31:16. > :31:23.trying to keep length and the ball floated long. No problems at all.
:31:23. > :31:28.The bounce smash despatched on Federer holds his sever. -- serve.
:31:28. > :31:33.It is very important over the years, as you gain experience, and you
:31:34. > :31:40.learn how to manage your game, and your body, and everything else,
:31:40. > :31:45.when you are a professional sports man, it was important to take time
:31:45. > :31:48.off. For Federer it was after the disappointment of losing to
:31:48. > :31:51.Mbanjock. When he went down to Playday advice cup, which was a
:31:51. > :31:59.great effort, then took that time off to be with the family, I guess
:31:59. > :32:02.do some training as well. Then he came back fresh, and he won basil
:32:02. > :32:06.and France. You think the player is going to have a break at the end of
:32:06. > :32:09.the year. Sometimes that isn't the reality of your playing in the
:32:09. > :32:13.world tour final, your might have the Davis Cup. Your window of
:32:13. > :32:17.opportunity to have a complete break is very small. The Australian
:32:17. > :32:20.Open seems to come round so quickly, I think Roger rightly felt after
:32:20. > :32:24.the US Open, that was the time where he could Ruth Kelly have a
:32:24. > :32:28.break, get away from the game and have an opportunity to put some
:32:28. > :32:34.good hard yards in on the practice court and in the gym. You saw the
:32:34. > :32:41.way he came back in those two tournaments. He looked fresh, eager,
:32:41. > :32:43.and it was reflected in his results. He played fantastic tennis to win
:32:44. > :32:51.both tournaments. Now he fancies his chances of defending his title
:32:51. > :32:58.here. First of the singles matches at the world tour final, that is,
:32:58. > :33:02.what you are watching. Glad to have you with us. 17,500 people, all the
:33:03. > :33:08.way up into the top tier and into the roof here, enjoying this
:33:08. > :33:18.singles match. The French number one, world number six. Severing at
:33:18. > :33:18.
:33:18. > :34:21.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:34:21. > :34:31.Four straight points for Federer Four points now. And Federer has
:34:31. > :34:33.
:34:33. > :34:37.the bit between his teeth. Something I have noticed in the
:34:37. > :34:41.last two tournaments is how Federer is trying to change the pace of the
:34:41. > :34:46.ball. He is playing the slow slice, sometimes he is giving the ball
:34:46. > :34:50.more margin for error to try and get the ball high on Tsonga's
:34:50. > :35:00.backhand. Then he stets in on the forehand and gets a bigger change
:35:00. > :35:19.
:35:20. > :35:24.Federer having missed that backhand volley in the previous game that
:35:24. > :35:30.Tim Henman was pointing out and battened down the hatches. He has
:35:30. > :35:40.this mini momentum now. Striking the ball cleanly, Tsonga will need
:35:40. > :36:00.
:36:00. > :36:06.That is the first break of serve. When someone serves as well as
:36:06. > :36:16.Federer does, you can't donate that break of serve early on. So hard to
:36:16. > :36:31.
:36:31. > :36:34.That is a lot of work on that forehand. Massive top spin. Just
:36:34. > :36:44.dipped down into the corner. No challenge. Hawk-Eye in operation
:36:44. > :37:00.
:37:00. > :37:10.here. Yeah, ball dipping down at . Four points in a row has suddenly
:37:10. > :37:11.
:37:11. > :37:21.become eight points in a row and Tsonga will be keen to stop the rot.
:37:21. > :37:46.
:37:46. > :37:51.Good. Very vaing for Federer to lose this, because really, play
:37:51. > :38:01.that volley and he is never going to miss it. The only way he could
:38:01. > :38:07.
:38:07. > :38:12.lose is if it was bad judgment. Described earlier on this week by
:38:12. > :38:16.Mike Dixon in the Mail as perhaps sport's most admired individual
:38:16. > :38:20.athlete. I was thinking who else could be up there really? I mean
:38:20. > :38:26.after the demise of Tiger Woods and the difficulties of his personal
:38:26. > :38:31.life and behaviour, it is hard to think of a stronger brand, really.
:38:31. > :38:35.He has represented the game beautifully over the years as we
:38:35. > :38:39.look at his opponent today, Jo- Wilfried Tsonga, who is also a very
:38:39. > :38:44.popular man. He certainly has. He has represented our spot so well,
:38:44. > :38:49.but he is such a good example for the younger generation coming up,
:38:49. > :38:52.and he is so accommodating, access to believe the media and I think
:38:53. > :38:56.grow back 15 years and a lot of the players didn't make themselves
:38:56. > :39:00.necessarily so available, and the young players coming up thought
:39:00. > :39:04.that was the right way to handle the media, but I think Federer and
:39:04. > :39:08.Nadal have recognised their responsibility to the game, and
:39:08. > :39:12.they have done such a good job in continuing to grow the sport.
:39:12. > :39:17.people are comfortable dealing with the media and the PR aspects of the
:39:17. > :39:21.game and some some are not so comfort.. I don't think Andy Murray
:39:21. > :39:26.is comfortable with the media and the obligations and it shouldn't
:39:26. > :39:29.take away from what he does. A bit of a spat this week, perhaps,
:39:29. > :39:35.encouraged by the media between Roger and Andy Murray, and we will
:39:35. > :39:40.go into that at the next change of end, because it is a a little bit
:39:40. > :39:50.spicy. Molehills and mountains. Handbags. We could make it bigger
:39:50. > :40:18.
:40:18. > :40:23.APPLAUSE This court surface that Tim Henman was describing and the
:40:23. > :40:33.pace of it, it feels a bit slower than last year, at the moment. The
:40:33. > :40:38.
:40:38. > :40:42.type of rallys that are being Just watching the way the ball
:40:42. > :40:46.bounces and the spins. It looks like the court is grabbing the ball
:40:46. > :40:50.and it is not skidding through the court. It is bouncing up high, so,
:40:51. > :40:56.it will probably get a bit quirk as the qeebg goes -- week gons but it
:40:56. > :41:06.seems to favour the baseline. the week goes on but it seems to
:41:06. > :41:43.
:41:43. > :41:47.Believe that is, yes ears family In is the last game with the old
:41:47. > :41:52.tennis balls so if they are fluffed up and go through the air slower,
:41:52. > :42:02.this would be the game when they are at their slowest. In other
:42:02. > :42:06.
:42:06. > :42:11.words, the serve not quite as Really underrated second serve,
:42:11. > :42:18.Federer instead of going for the Kirk slides the one into the body.
:42:18. > :42:22.Tsonga couldn't get out of the way. Got tucked up and got the mistake.
:42:22. > :42:26.Not enough made of the variation necessary at all levels of the game.
:42:26. > :42:36.Keep your opponent thinking. You need to be able to control where
:42:36. > :42:42.
:42:42. > :42:47.you put the ball in the service box. A consumate service game. Previous
:42:47. > :42:57.serve from Federer was just 116mph. That was he flattened out,
:42:57. > :43:01.
:43:01. > :43:09.125mphment he keeps you guessing as . And that serve was just 88mph,
:43:09. > :43:15.but with a lot of kick and top spin. You wouldn't call it Masterclass,
:43:15. > :43:20.it is a controlled and confident performance to open up the finals.
:43:20. > :43:23.Just to return to what we were talking about, Tim Henman and I,
:43:23. > :43:29.about this Federer versus Andy Murray. It's a made for media thing.
:43:29. > :43:34.It is not that big a deal. Andy Murray won in superb fashion, three
:43:34. > :43:38.tournaments in Asia, culminating in the Shanghai master, a big event.
:43:38. > :43:47.He did very well. Federer's response to that, when asked about
:43:47. > :43:51.it, was "Well, Novak wasn't there. And Nadal lost early, and I wasn't
:43:51. > :43:56.there." So it appeared he was diminishing Andy Murray's efforts
:43:56. > :44:02.over there, and Andy in reply to that, just said "Well, I can only
:44:02. > :44:07.beat who is in front of me," and he is spot on. But there is a little
:44:07. > :44:17.history of some verbal jibes,. is right. And you know, I think
:44:17. > :44:19.they are both trying to state their points, and you know, perhaps
:44:20. > :44:25.wasn't PROBLEM WITH SOUND
:44:25. > :44:31.It makes interesting interesting listening. Reading. Copy. It will
:44:31. > :44:37.make an interesting semifinal if they get there or final. Andy
:44:37. > :44:43.Murray has a winning record over Federer. But of course the big one
:44:44. > :44:53.he has lost. The Slam final t three of them he has lost. He has to get
:44:54. > :44:54.
:44:54. > :45:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:45:48. > :45:52.past the three guys. Federer is one The set has been scrappy for the
:45:52. > :45:55.most part from Tsonga. The last time they played in this city was
:45:55. > :46:05.in SW19 in a quarterfinal and Federer won the first two set
:46:05. > :46:14.
:46:14. > :46:17.So it's the lead for Federer who has been in control of his game.
:46:17. > :46:23.Nothing majorly spectacular. Tsonga doesn't even look solid. He is
:46:23. > :46:28.going to have to tighten this up and I suspect he will. 6-2 in the
:46:28. > :46:31.first set. This match is the first singles of this particular
:46:31. > :46:37.tournament. The ATP World Tour Finals. The top eight in the world
:46:37. > :46:45.are here, two groups, somewhat unimaginatively called Group A and
:46:45. > :46:50.B this is from Group B it contains the world number two, four, six and
:46:50. > :47:00.eight. Nadal versus Fish is later on, you can hear that on BBC Radio
:47:00. > :47:01.
:47:01. > :47:04.5 Live sports extra. But in is the the top two will place at the top
:47:04. > :47:08.of each group and it was three or four, five or six, seven or eight.
:47:08. > :47:12.That is how they get split up. Group A is what Andy Murray is in.
:47:12. > :47:18.It is headed by the man who has won three slams this year Novak
:47:18. > :47:23.Djokovic, he is the world number one by far. So it is 1, 3, 5 and 7.
:47:23. > :47:29.And the only man in that group that Andy Murray has a winning record
:47:29. > :47:34.against is the man he opens up against at 2.00 tomorrow starve r
:47:34. > :47:38.afternoon. That is David Ferrer. He lost to Berdych did Murray last
:47:38. > :47:42.week. He has a losing record against Novak Djokovic but he has
:47:42. > :47:46.beaten him before. But there is no such thing as an easy match at this
:47:46. > :47:55.event. Who did you play in your groups when you were in the event?
:47:55. > :48:01.Well, the first time I qualified was in Hanover in Germany and I
:48:01. > :48:05.played Rios. I won that then I beat the person who won the tournament.
:48:05. > :48:14.It show jous to get through your group and if you can do that it is
:48:15. > :48:20.all to play for. Two players going through from each group. The winner
:48:20. > :48:30.of one group plays the run er up of the other and vice versa in the
:48:30. > :48:30.
:48:30. > :49:35.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:49:35. > :49:44.semifinals. It is a week away. APPLAUSE. UMPIRE: First game,
:49:44. > :49:47.second set. Really the perfect start for Federer in the second set,
:49:48. > :49:54.getting off to an easy hold, and breaking serve at the end of the
:49:54. > :50:00.first set gives him the momentum again, and very unusual for Tsonga
:50:00. > :50:10.to lose his serve to love twice in one set. It really does need to
:50:10. > :50:10.
:50:10. > :51:15.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:51:15. > :51:19.knuckle down now, and get an early Can almost sense by the crowd's
:51:19. > :51:29.reaction, they want Tsonga to get involved in this match, otherwise
:51:29. > :51:53.
:51:53. > :52:03.The crowd would love to see this second set a little tighter than
:52:03. > :52:36.
:52:36. > :52:46.Really feel wheng Tsonga gets a look at the Federer second serve he
:52:46. > :53:13.
:53:13. > :53:19.has to be more aggressive. The tharty -- charity do last fight
:53:19. > :53:29.tat Savoy hotel in London, give it your max, a charity for
:53:29. > :53:37.
:53:37. > :53:47.disadvantaged children. Taking tennis round your world, givityour
:53:47. > :54:11.
:54:11. > :54:16.max. Org. Baseline ball from Tsonga. That was a loose one! Such a good
:54:16. > :54:26.first serve into the body to set up the what Federer wanted, very
:54:26. > :54:35.
:54:35. > :54:45.surprising he missed that shot at a That is another loose one. Rushed
:54:45. > :54:47.
:54:47. > :54:57.on the forehand side. Tsonga is in the match. That will get it going.
:54:57. > :55:15.
:55:16. > :55:22.Make him feel like he is a part of Had a fantastic junior career
:55:22. > :55:30.Tsonga. Even this country thinks of him having arrived in 2007. He won
:55:30. > :55:36.a challenger, and he was playing at Queens Club as well. Doing really
:55:36. > :55:39.really well. Beat Lleyton Hewitt and it was like that was the time
:55:39. > :55:44.of his arrival. He got so badly injured so many times he never
:55:44. > :55:48.really got anything going, but he was certainly a star junior player,
:55:48. > :55:52.and the cameras moving round the crowd here, as I say if you want to
:55:52. > :55:57.come along tomorrow to be part of this show, you can. You can come
:55:57. > :56:01.and see muver play as he opens his campaign in the season ending
:56:01. > :56:11.championships against David Ferrer. Just a few hundred tickets
:56:11. > :56:19.
:56:19. > :56:26.remaining. 17 500 in tote in the Now important first two points or
:56:26. > :56:32.so in this game for Tsonga. He has just broken serve. He would like to
:56:32. > :56:42.cement that break by holding here. Keep his nose in front. 2-1 second
:56:42. > :56:42.
:56:42. > :57:59.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:57:59. > :58:02.A shocking run of points from Roger Federer. The errors really coming
:58:02. > :58:12.off the rackets. Tsonga is not really doing much, keeping the ball
:58:12. > :58:19.
:58:19. > :58:24.We talked about roufpbs points that Federer had in the first set,
:58:24. > :58:34.suddenly he was 30-0 up on his serve in the third game and Tsonga
:58:34. > :58:34.
:58:34. > :00:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:00:48. > :00:55.has won eight points in a row. Now The tennis Blair's call this the
:00:55. > :01:00.Masters. They have always called it the Masters. -- tennis players. It
:01:00. > :01:10.is a season ending for Nari. It is the eight players who have had the
:01:10. > :01:14.
:01:14. > :01:24.best year. Over the years, some names really stand out. Nastase Was
:01:24. > :01:34.
:01:34. > :01:40.phenomenal in the 70s. Pete Sampras was the man in the 90s. Ivan Lendl
:01:40. > :01:46.would be tremendous record and five titles. You can see Ivan Lendl at
:01:46. > :01:52.the Royal Albert Hall in about two weeks. Wednesday week. You can also
:01:52. > :01:59.see Tim Henman in action against Greg Rusedski. I'm looking forward
:01:59. > :02:05.to that. That is going to be great! This is the trophy they are playing
:02:05. > :02:11.for. It really does mean something. If you are not familiar with this
:02:11. > :02:18.event, it is quite a spectacular thing to have in London. We have
:02:18. > :02:25.Queen's and Wimbledon in the summer and this one as well. It is so mild,
:02:25. > :02:35.it does not feel like winter. It is nice, isn't it? It is good for golf.
:02:35. > :02:35.
:02:35. > :03:21.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:03:21. > :03:26.The last thing Tsonga wants to do is to play pretty tennis against
:03:26. > :03:34.Federer. He wants to take the tennis out of the ball and really
:03:34. > :03:44.intimidate Federer if he can. Federer said Tsonga can win matches
:03:44. > :03:45.
:03:45. > :03:55.by force and I know what he means. He is really looking to take the
:03:55. > :03:55.
:03:55. > :05:06.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:05:06. > :05:12.That was a complete miss time, It is amazing to think after 40
:05:12. > :05:21.minutes, we're a set and a half into this match. It has not been
:05:21. > :05:31.the longest rallies despite the court surface been so slow. --
:05:31. > :05:39.
:05:39. > :05:49.It is not possible to ports on to the court every time and place
:05:49. > :06:24.
:06:24. > :06:29.This was a lovely, rolled backhand. You thought this was the end of the
:06:29. > :06:39.rallies. Tsonga picked up a half volley on the backhand himself.
:06:39. > :06:54.
:06:54. > :07:04.UMPIRE: Let, first service. A bit Federer has been a bit flat over
:07:04. > :07:22.
:07:22. > :07:32.That was a first class return of the big picking serve. A lot of
:07:32. > :07:32.
:07:32. > :09:07.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:09:07. > :09:17.Look at this! That was fast racket He is a very watchable, isn't he?
:09:17. > :09:42.
:09:42. > :09:52.In the first set, Federer was able to get the double break. Tsonga
:09:52. > :09:52.
:09:52. > :11:16.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:11:16. > :11:21.will be keen to break the Federer It is the continual bludgeoning
:11:21. > :11:26.from Tsonga and the fact that Federer does not know when it is
:11:27. > :11:32.coming. He is not giving Federer any rhythm at all. He deserves
:11:32. > :11:42.great credit for taking some of the spirit - sapping the spirit of
:11:42. > :12:00.
:12:00. > :12:08.And that will do it will start a second break. -- that will do it.
:12:08. > :12:14.Dad and mum love it. A second break of serve. That should be it for the
:12:14. > :12:22.set. We were worried about Tsonga in the first set but not now. Good
:12:22. > :12:28.on him. It looks as though we will have a third set. It is the top
:12:28. > :12:34.eight only in this spectacular format. Two round-robin groups.
:12:34. > :12:42.About �70,000 for being here. If you win a match, you get 120,000
:12:42. > :12:49.more for each match you win. If you win the semi-final you pick up
:12:49. > :12:55.$380,000. If you win the final, it is 770. If you win all five matches,
:12:55. > :13:00.you walk away with 1.6 3 million. That is about a million quid and
:13:00. > :13:06.some shrapnel, which is very nice. As for computer points, and
:13:06. > :13:11.undefeated champion would take 1500 points. With Wimbledon you get 2000
:13:11. > :13:16.for women -- winning, and one of the Grand Slams was up just beneath
:13:16. > :13:23.the Grand Slams in terms of importance. The money is not that
:13:23. > :13:33.vital to any of these players. Bonuses and the rest of it. If you
:13:33. > :13:36.
:13:36. > :13:41.are here, you are a pretty wealthy young man. It is a lot about honour
:13:41. > :13:51.amongst the players, this event. A real feather in anyone's cap to
:13:51. > :14:17.
:14:17. > :14:27.come to regroup with these sorts of A drop volley. Good hands at the
:14:27. > :15:06.
:15:06. > :15:16.net for some The. Federer elected That shot has only been around
:15:16. > :15:16.
:15:16. > :16:27.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:16:27. > :16:32.about 20 years. So many players UMPIRE: New balls, please. He did
:16:32. > :16:41.look proud of his son. Not like your dad was that he would sit
:16:41. > :16:48.there barely stoic. There was not much expression. Didier is a bit
:16:48. > :16:54.different. Those two it sets were the mirror image of each other.
:16:54. > :17:00.Tsonga was donated a break. Suddenly a couple of loose
:17:00. > :17:06.forehands and Tsonga was into the match. He ran away with the second
:17:06. > :17:13.set. Amazingly after 51 minutes we are about to start the third and
:17:13. > :17:20.deciding set. How important that will be-both players. Whoever grabs
:17:20. > :17:28.momentum first -- first, is likely to win. Just look at this arena! It
:17:28. > :17:35.is fabulous, isn't it? I saw Prince in here. They stage so many events.
:17:35. > :17:39.It has become the most successful entertainment arena in the world.
:17:39. > :17:43.They were not able to stage the Michael Jackson concerts,
:17:43. > :17:53.tragically. They know what they're doing with sports events, as well
:17:53. > :17:58.
:17:58. > :18:08.as music. It has worked very smoothly. The serve of Tsonga. This
:18:08. > :18:10.
:18:10. > :18:16.is the first thing that Federer needs to address. Tsonga is only
:18:16. > :18:20.making 44% of first serves. His percentage went up in the second
:18:20. > :18:25.set. Federer will be looking to take advantage of the second serves
:18:25. > :18:35.he gets. First and foremost, serving this first game, he will be
:18:35. > :18:37.
:18:37. > :18:47.very pleased to get his nose in There have been four break-point
:18:47. > :18:51.
:18:51. > :19:01.opportunities in the match and all He will be keen to try to create
:19:01. > :19:01.
:19:01. > :20:34.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:20:34. > :20:41.some of those opportunities early Tim and I was talking about the
:20:41. > :20:50.record of Roger Federer and how, in Paris, at the Masters, which he won
:20:50. > :21:00.weaker go against this very opponent, he had won his 8th
:21:00. > :21:13.
:21:13. > :21:23.hundred so -- 800th match on the McEnroe had 175 wins, Ifan Lendl --
:21:23. > :21:23.
:21:23. > :22:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:22:41. > :22:48.Ivan Lendl 195. Heading the list is It is almost like there is a flight
:22:48. > :22:58.in the room when the ball goes up like that. -- a fly. It was not
:22:58. > :22:58.
:22:58. > :23:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:23:41. > :23:47.Federer is challenging that call. The ball was called in. That is the
:23:47. > :23:57.first challenge this match, I think. I think that was in hope rather
:23:57. > :24:16.
:24:16. > :24:24.That was 138 miles an hour on the It is a strange shot to be playing
:24:24. > :24:30.really. He is in the game. It is a game point from Tsonga. Why does he
:24:30. > :24:40.not block that back? I think he is trying to be aggressive and looked
:24:40. > :24:44.
:24:44. > :24:50.to get on the offences -- offensive You do not see that very often from
:24:50. > :25:00.Federer Fulstow up he is not seeing the ball that well today.
:25:00. > :25:00.
:25:00. > :26:00.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:26:00. > :26:10.He is moving well, isn't he? He is That was a big mess. -- mess.
:26:10. > :26:18.
:26:19. > :26:28.Federer is not that involved. It is It is amazing how he can turn
:26:29. > :26:29.
:26:29. > :27:11.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:27:11. > :27:16.The next time you go and play tennis, try this one. It is such a
:27:16. > :27:26.hard ball. To get that level of power takes technique, as well as
:27:26. > :27:43.
:27:43. > :27:53.He had the court open, Federer pulls stuck it was on the forehand
:27:53. > :27:53.
:27:53. > :27:58.side of Tsonga. -- Federer. would still back Federer to make
:27:58. > :28:08.this shot. The big forehand dictated the reason why Federer
:28:08. > :28:11.
:28:11. > :28:16.This is a fascinating match. Singles match number one at the
:28:16. > :28:26.season ending Championships. Just the top eight divided into two
:28:26. > :28:42.
:28:42. > :28:46.We are going to see some great It is fascinating. Federer is
:28:46. > :28:51.having to think his way through the match. He is moving the ball with
:28:52. > :28:58.the serve out wide on the deuce court. He is trying to get his
:28:58. > :29:03.first serve in. It is a strategic match. It is good to see both
:29:03. > :29:10.players playing well at the same time. In the first set, Federer
:29:10. > :29:17.completely dominated. In the second set, Tsonga ran through it. Now you
:29:17. > :29:22.have the element of chess. People working out how to outmanoeuvre her
:29:22. > :29:27.opponent. It is difficult to hit through the opponent. As you saw on
:29:27. > :29:31.the last first serve from Federer, only 97 miles an hour but looking
:29:31. > :29:37.to set up this forehand with the second shot. He knows if he says
:29:37. > :29:41.that one, it will not get belter straight away. People step up and
:29:41. > :29:48.tried to back the second serve. If you roller first one in, an
:29:48. > :29:53.opponent can be left standing at the back. -- role the first one.
:29:53. > :30:03.All sorts of things going on in this match. It is an interesting
:30:03. > :30:13.
:30:13. > :30:23.I thought that was four poofs and a piano! But it wasn't. OK. No breaks
:30:23. > :30:23.
:30:23. > :31:15.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:31:15. > :31:25.of serve. This third set, 2-1 to In game is a momentum maintainer
:31:25. > :31:52.
:31:52. > :31:57.for Tsonga. Following all the rules. Are you emplying I wasn't holding
:31:57. > :32:07.serve easily? It might have been a bit more of a struggle Fair
:32:07. > :32:07.
:32:07. > :33:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:33:48. > :33:53.Action from Group B at the world tour finals here, just eight men
:33:53. > :34:03.here, later on, the other two players in this four-man group will
:34:03. > :34:19.
:34:19. > :34:24.play, that is Nadal versus Mardy Nadal-Federer as a rivalry,. They
:34:24. > :34:28.haven't played that much this year, and to see them repeat of last
:34:28. > :34:32.year's final, obviously in the round-robin stage, it will be
:34:32. > :34:38.fascinating to watch. It will be interesting to see how Nadal is
:34:38. > :34:43.playing, and he has had a bit of a break from the game. Didn't play in
:34:43. > :34:50.Paris last week. He will be keen to put on a good show here and he has
:34:50. > :35:00.the Davis Cup final to finish off his year. We know how that was with
:35:00. > :35:02.
:35:03. > :35:12.Novak Djokovic, when he took Serbia today advice Cup Final. -- to the
:35:13. > :35:15.
:35:15. > :35:22.Federer arrived on Wednesday morning, to play on Friday morning.
:35:22. > :35:26.It is a long way to go. Having flown from New York to Dubai, then
:35:26. > :35:30.Sydney. I think that emphasises how much the competition means to him.
:35:30. > :35:35.Perhaps how much he wants to play in the Olympics next year. You have
:35:35. > :35:39.to have played a couple of Davis Cup matches to be in the Olympic,
:35:39. > :35:45.which will be at the All England Club next summer, so tennis will
:35:45. > :35:51.feature heavily next year. Back in the games as an exhibition sport in
:35:51. > :35:57.Los Angeles in 84. A full medal sport, they were giving them away
:35:57. > :36:07.in last night ta. Tim Henman got one, a silver! How Mull much petrol
:36:07. > :36:17.
:36:17. > :36:20.You and neeld Broad. Atlanta. is right. Good. Especially with
:36:20. > :36:30.Neil. LAUGHTER
:36:30. > :36:50.
:36:50. > :36:57.Regards if you are watching this . He tried to run round the second
:36:57. > :37:07.serve but got tangled up. He was able to return deep and get the
:37:07. > :37:10.
:37:10. > :37:20.unforced error from Tsonga. He is Another first serve missed from
:37:20. > :37:27.
:37:27. > :37:33.See the difference on the second serve when he is aggressive as he
:37:33. > :37:43.was the 15-0 point. That was a bit of a floater down the middle,
:37:43. > :38:03.
:38:03. > :38:07.giving Tsonga all the time in the Almost a table tennis backhand
:38:07. > :38:17.wasn't it. Just smothering the top spin and taking it early. Great
:38:17. > :38:26.
:38:26. > :38:30.Where does Tsonga go on the first serve? Roger got there. I think
:38:30. > :38:38.that is a remnant from a previous event in here. One of those
:38:38. > :38:48.explosions and then bits of ribbon and paper come down. Where does he
:38:48. > :39:20.
:39:20. > :39:27.Henry cheering against his country man here. I don't know how that
:39:27. > :39:31.will go down. He is in the Federer camp. It is a break point after
:39:31. > :39:41.that beautifully produced backhand and the passing shot as well. Here
:39:41. > :40:03.
:40:03. > :40:06.Again I think Federer has to be disappointed with the return. He is
:40:06. > :40:10.not keeping the ball away from the middle of the court. It is giving
:40:10. > :40:15.Tsonga the chance to dictate with his forehand, and Tsonga yet to
:40:15. > :40:25.make a first serve in this game. Federer will feel he has to take
:40:25. > :40:35.
:40:35. > :40:40.Again that emphasises the point of why you have to take the chances on
:40:40. > :40:50.the second serve, when he makes his first serve at 137mph, it will be
:40:50. > :41:00.
:41:00. > :41:06.UMPIRE: Game Tsonga. Break point saved. You talk about how Federer
:41:06. > :41:11.has been playing well. Tsonga has been playing a few games as well.
:41:11. > :41:17.He won in mets. And Vienna. Both indoors and a final at Paris as
:41:17. > :41:27.well. So he comes in with a lot of match wins. He will be eyeing this
:41:27. > :41:27.
:41:27. > :43:24.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:43:24. > :43:28.game up now. Federer having missed UMPIRE: Game Federer. There is a
:43:28. > :43:33.feeling of cat-and-mouse continuing between these players. First set
:43:33. > :43:39.was all Federer. Tsonga not there. Second set took a little longer at
:43:39. > :43:45.half an hour. That was all Tsonga. 6-2. So mirror image, first two
:43:45. > :43:50.sets. And this one very different. They have both knuckled down.
:43:50. > :43:53.Federer had a break point. In Tsonga's previous service game and
:43:53. > :43:59.didn't do much with the second serve return. It is narrow margins
:43:59. > :44:02.in this match. What is going to happen next? Well, again, Federer
:44:02. > :44:07.will look to get involved in a Tsonga service game, and this
:44:07. > :44:11.probably is a bit of the advantage of serving first in a set. He is
:44:11. > :44:18.always in the lead Federer, has done a good job on his service
:44:18. > :44:23.games. Up 4-3. The pressure is back on Tsonga. But you know, it could
:44:23. > :44:26.very well go to a third set tie- break. And in the context of this
:44:26. > :44:31.tournament, the round-robin even, what an important tie-break that
:44:31. > :44:36.would be. It would. It is round- robin play here, just eight player,
:44:36. > :44:39.two groups of four. When it comes down to picking the two best
:44:39. > :44:45.players from the group at the end of the result, comes down to the
:44:45. > :44:53.amount of wins you have got. If you won three you will go through, be
:44:53. > :44:58.if you are tied on two wins or one win it gets a bit math mat tal. Sue
:44:58. > :45:02.is here tomorrow and she can bring her calculator. She the work it out.
:45:03. > :45:06.It is possible to win two matches and mot go through. It is possible
:45:06. > :45:16.the one one match and still go through.? It is impossible to not
:45:16. > :45:16.
:45:16. > :46:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:46:05. > :46:15.go through if you have won all your Fifth ace of the match. Quickly up
:46:15. > :46:35.
:46:35. > :46:44.When you are serving at 3-3 -- 3-4 in the deciding set, a lot of cheap
:46:44. > :46:48.points, pressure straight back on Both players know that any slip now,
:46:48. > :46:58.a couple of missed balls here or there and the match could be over
:46:58. > :46:58.
:46:58. > :48:10.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:48:10. > :48:16.in double quick time. It is quite UMPIRE: Game Federer. APPLAUSE.
:48:16. > :48:20.Disappointing game as far as Tsonga fans are concerned. First point was
:48:20. > :48:27.absolutely crucial, Tsonga had a chance to at least make Federer
:48:27. > :48:37.play a ball. But didn't do it. So 5-4 and one game away from victory,
:48:37. > :48:45.
:48:45. > :48:49.. He doesn't like to have a coach. Look at him reacting to the music.
:48:49. > :48:52.He likes to do his own thing and not be involved in a riming id
:48:52. > :48:56.structure or be involved with anybody else. He likes to let it
:48:56. > :49:01.flow out of the racket. We can understand that logic. As well from
:49:01. > :49:07.a coach's point of view he is not the easiest player to work with
:49:07. > :49:11.because he has so many different attributes to his game. It is that
:49:11. > :49:15.natural flair you are trying to let flow in the matches. If you try to
:49:15. > :49:18.give him a game plan to stick to, I don't think it would work, I think
:49:18. > :49:23.there is definitely common theme, there is the points that he needs
:49:23. > :49:32.to do well in his game, first serve, look to dictate with his forehand,
:49:32. > :49:40.as that man's done a few times in his career. Thank you very much.
:49:40. > :49:43.Thank you very much. World number two at the moment. And he can't
:49:43. > :49:48.overtake Novak Djokovic at the top of game this week. He is probably
:49:48. > :49:52.saying to himself "Come on boy, hurry up. Need a practise on the
:49:52. > :49:58.court." He will be hitting a few balls after this in preparation for
:49:58. > :50:08.the second match in this group. He plays Mardy Fish this evening.
:50:08. > :50:21.
:50:21. > :50:28.Talked about how clean the last two service games were, you don't want
:50:28. > :50:38.to miss a shot like that. First point of the game. Looking to put
:50:38. > :50:38.
:50:38. > :51:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds
:51:40. > :51:46.that out of his mind pretty APPLAUSE. That is a clean hit on
:51:46. > :51:50.the forehand side. Approved of by his exam: It follows a double fault
:51:50. > :51:57.and a missed volley as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has contributed to what
:51:57. > :52:00.could be his own downfall here. The defending champion and five times
:52:00. > :52:10.champion of this season is in good shape in this game. Three match
:52:10. > :52:32.
:52:32. > :52:42.APPLAUSE. One save. He is going to have to keep throwing the heat.
:52:42. > :52:45.
:52:45. > :52:52.Serve his way out of trouble. That UMPIRE: Game set and match.
:52:52. > :52:56.wasn't easy but Federer was up to a winning start at the O2. Massive
:52:56. > :53:06.disappointment for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. And just as in Paris last
:53:06. > :53:23.
:53:23. > :53:27.week, it is victory for Federer It wasn't always the prettiest of
:53:27. > :53:30.performances from either player. Certainly some major highlights in
:53:30. > :53:35.it as far as the standard is concerned, but I think Jo-Wilfried
:53:35. > :53:41.Tsonga will be so disappointed, Tim Henman, with a capitulation at the
:53:41. > :53:45.end, just a couple of mistakes. Poor service game bg but from
:53:45. > :53:49.Federer's point of view he didn't play his best tennis, the
:53:49. > :53:53.conditions were tricky court locks like it is slow, a bit sticky and
:53:53. > :53:58.he's managed to come away with a win, so it puts him in a strong
:53:58. > :54:03.position in this group, but Tsonga still had the opportunity. That is
:54:03. > :54:07.the joy of this sort of format, these group stage, you can lose a
:54:07. > :54:13.match and still come back, and still go through to the semifinals.
:54:13. > :54:17.Just the top two from each four-man group go through to the semi finals
:54:17. > :54:27.and possibly the finals after that. So all is not lost for Jo-Wilfried
:54:27. > :54:28.
:54:28. > :54:33.Tsonga. Federer is in good shape. 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 the final score.
:54:33. > :54:37.Federer found way to gain the victory. The crowd enjoyed it. This
:54:37. > :54:42.Sunday afternoon, and there is much more to come later on this evening.
:54:42. > :54:47.Tomorrow, from 2.00, you can see Andy Murray in action, he will open
:54:47. > :54:51.his campaign against one of the two Spaniards, David Ferrer, the world
:54:51. > :54:58.number five. Tickets are still available if you fancy coming down.
:54:58. > :55:03.This one has gone to Federer. didn't think about it, but he
:55:03. > :55:07.played an amazing match against me at Wimbledon and redevered to win
:55:07. > :55:11.and today almost again it was close. You know, I had a bit of luck maybe
:55:11. > :55:15.in the last game. It came at the right time and I am happy to get
:55:15. > :55:20.off a good start. It changed round quickly, that opening set was
:55:20. > :55:26.almost perfect. 21 minutes an he came back at you fast. Yes I had a
:55:26. > :55:30.couple of errors to give him the chance at 30-30. That is all it
:55:30. > :55:33.takes indoors against a great player like Jo. It was it was
:55:34. > :55:37.unfortunate for me, he took advantage of it. He served
:55:37. > :55:40.fantastic and it was hard to control the rallys from the
:55:40. > :55:44.baseline. I feel fortunate to come through but I am happy with my
:55:44. > :55:48.level. You are on a 13 consecutive match win at the moment. Is this
:55:48. > :55:54.the best you have played all year? Possibly, for a long period of time
:55:55. > :55:57.this is an amazing run, it started back after the open, after that
:55:57. > :56:02.loss against Novak Djokovic, it is a good reaccuse sthaurpbgs is the
:56:02. > :56:12.stuff I expect from myself, but it has been, I have had some time off
:56:12. > :56:17.
:56:17. > :56:21.and played great in Paris and here I am, so I am happy to be here.
:56:21. > :56:26.is the tenth consecutive time you have made the season ending
:56:26. > :56:31.championships which is a phenomenal record. You still get the same
:56:31. > :56:37.thrill? Absolutely. It has changed over the years from different venue,
:56:37. > :56:41.started in 2002 in Shanghai, and going to Houston, back to Shanghai
:56:41. > :56:45.and here to London, so it has been a great journey, I have played full
:56:46. > :56:51.seasons, my whole career really, so I've been fortunate to play so many
:56:51. > :57:01.world tour finals and this is one of the best one, and I am happy to
:57:01. > :57:02.
:57:02. > :57:08.have won here and experienced this amazing crowd. APPLAUSE Just
:57:08. > :57:14.finally, it was great to see Henry in your box today, I don't know if
:57:14. > :57:18.that was psychology in on your part, a Frenchman rooting against a
:57:18. > :57:23.Frenchman. He just wanted to see some tennis, it happened against Jo.
:57:23. > :57:29.I am going to speak to him now, if he has not already. It isifies he
:57:29. > :57:33.came out, still following in New York, we see each other. How is his
:57:33. > :57:37.tennis? Pretty good. A great athlete, and he is talented. That
:57:37. > :57:45.is all I can say. Roger, congratulations today. Thank you
:57:45. > :57:48.very much. So Roger Federer looking more comfortable in interview tan
:57:48. > :57:55.he was on the court some of the time there. But he got the victory
:57:55. > :58:02.and it was a tough one in three sets. Later on it is Nadal versus
:58:02. > :58:07.Fish from this group. You can see what that does to Group B. Federer
:58:07. > :58:13.has opened up with a victory. And Group A is under way tomorrow, the
:58:13. > :58:17.first match in the afternoon, live coverage on BBC Two and HD, Andy
:58:17. > :58:27.Murray versus David Ferrer, after that Novak Djokovic will be in
:58:27. > :58:28.
:58:28. > :58:32.action against Thomas Berdych. Just confirming that on the HD channel
:58:32. > :58:37.on BBC Two. Murray versus Ferrer. It is on line, it is everywhere
:58:37. > :58:41.because Murray is in town. What do you Mick of his form Tim? He has
:58:41. > :58:46.played fantastic. He had the great run in Asia, he won those three
:58:46. > :58:49.tournaments, and you know, he lost to Thomas Berdych if Paris but I
:58:49. > :58:53.wouldn't read a great deal into that, he is number three in the
:58:53. > :58:56.world an he will fight hard for that position. Himself and Federer
:58:56. > :59:02.have been having a few words in the press which has been amusing and it
:59:02. > :59:07.will be good to see if Murray can finish up number three It is good,
:59:07. > :59:11.Andy has never been intimidated. He said the other day apart from South
:59:11. > :59:16.African. That is when he was young, you have to be that way. That is
:59:16. > :59:20.right, and those guys now know, actions speak louder than words and
:59:20. > :59:25.they want to be, you know, doing their talking on the court. This is
:59:25. > :59:28.a great place to do it. It is incredible. It really is such a
:59:28. > :59:31.great event, we are fortunate to have it in London. You have the
:59:31. > :59:35.best eight players in the world. For Federer that was a good start.
:59:35. > :59:39.He didn't play his best. I don't think he was totally comfortable
:59:39. > :59:44.with the conditions. It was job done. Tim, good talking to you