Day 4: Federer v Ferrer Tennis: World Tour Finals

COMMENTATOR: How could he do that? In is a Djokovic in a thriller! Or

good afternoon. Yesterday we witnessed two hours and 34 minutes

of glorious tennis as Murray and Djokovic battles it out. Another

treat in store today but this match is full of contrast. The finesse

and dazzling skill of Roger Federer, his seemingly effortless style has

seen him become the master of the majors and for many the greatest

player of all time. Today he takes on have the courage and defence of

a player nicknamed the Iron Man, David Ferrer, in the form of his

life following back-to-back tournament victories. But the bad

news for David, that it is 13-0 in the head to head. But he is a

different player this year. He has had an unbelievable year. He has

won seven titles and it has come on the back of the Masters 1000 win in

Paris, which was his first. On the one hand he comes in full of

confidence because kick of that but you wonder whether he will be a

little fatigued. Federer has just got his perfect record, but can he

break his leg? Dollars and, lovely to welcome you to our team. I know

you have seen Ferrer play a lot this year. He is 30, Federer is 31.

He is a rare player who is still improving as a thirtysomething.

They are not too many players you can say about that. He has won more

matches this year than anybody else, and more titles. Seven. What about

the confidence these wings are giving him, rather than fatty? This

will be his twelfth match. -- what about the confidence rather than

fat cheek these winners are giving him? It is a worrying if thing

his coach. Ferrer knows he has got to go out there and work hard for

every point. He has to hope Federer has a bit of an off day. He has to

He has to try to be aggressive, attack Federer's backhand. He has

to have the belief he can beat him. If he goes on court saying, he is

just too good for me, but he's not that type of player. He has a

fantastic attitude. I think Federer will come through but Ferrer has to

have the belief. Ferrer says he has to be more

aggressive against Federer. But he loves to defend. Yes, I love

watching David Ferrer. I love the way he goes about his business.

He's lovely of the court as well. He's a professional. He has had a

fantastic career. It makes you wonder why he has never made one of

these matches with Federer remotely close. For me, he has a problem

shifting up the gears a little bit. How has he got those gears?

hasn't got that extra level that a bigger hitting player can take his

game to. When you look at Federer, when he has the chance to turn it

up, he can. And also, last week, you talk about his back-to-back

victories, he won in Valencia, but winning in Paris, and this is him

at match point, you can see from his reaction what it means to get

that one big tournament, the Masters. Absolutely. If you reflect

on successes about matching your potential and this guy has been

phenomenal. He has been in three other Masters finals and lost them

all. He had lost to Lawrie and Nadal and Federer, so to have an

opportunity like that, he does deserve it. -- he had lost to

Murray. You need a weapon. His first serve is OK but he's not

getting many cheap points. Good backhand, a good forehand. But you

question whether there is something that can really have an impact

against Federer. He has to stick him in a back in a corner and

attack that side. If he's going to go to Federer's forehand he has to

do it with strength otherwise he will be doing more winning than

normal. Let's look back to last night. Djokovic beat Murray in the

afternoon. In the evening, Berdych came through against Jo-Wilfried

Tsonga, who was last year's finalist. Berdych has got his first

win on the board and Tsonga has two losses but this group situation is

so confusing because believe it or not, Tsonga still has a

tomorrow. Djokovic is in the driving seat with two victories but

Murray and Berdych on one each. If Tsonga wins and Djokovic wins... It

will be very confusing. Djokovic It is what makes it such a

fantastic set up with that round- robin. It is actually possible that

Djokovic can lose and not go through. In straight sets to

Berdych. Then Murray would qualify as group winners. Bring a

calculator. In the first year here they got into terrible mess when

Murray was in that situation. He thought he was through, nobody knew

what was going on, until Del Potro ended up going through. They have

to make sure on Friday and Saturday that they will communicate better

with the crowd so everybody understands. That is the group

tomorrow but today, as far as Federer is concerned, if he wins in

straight sets, he's definitely winners from that opening matches.

Del Potro and Tipsarevic have to try to win tonight to keep their

hopes alive. There are doubles Last night, with Jonny Marray and

Freddie Nielsen, they managed to qualify. Two wins out of two for

the Wimbledon doubles champions. We have been commentating on their

matches on Radio 5 Live. A couple of matches previously to this, --

points previous to this they were 7-8 down and on the verge of going

two match points down. Then they played an amazing point. Nielsen

played an extraordinary instinctive forehand winner and moments later

they are in the semifinals. Jonny Marray does not know what to do!

And they have really played together so little. They won the

doubles at Wimbledon, they are now through to the semifinals here.

Frederik Nielsen says he wants to top 300, you look like you could

combine so well. He might change his mind. Bhupathi and Bopanna have

won win. This is not one of the great stories of tennis. This is

The whole amazing success of this summer started with Jonny Marray.

It's darted before Bradley Wiggins, before the Olympics. And if we

think back to that night on Centre Court, with the crowd going crazy

for British success, that atmosphere was then replicated to

the velodrome and the stadium a few weeks later. Thank you, Jonny

Marray, it all started with you! This was the win at Wimbledon. They

were just put together before the tournament, hardly knew each other,

and here they are. They beat all the top players and then on Centre

Court at Wimbledon, this happened. Against the defending champions.

Absolutely an epic match. They have now beaten every single other top

team in the world, either then at Wimbledon or here at the O2. It is

a shame in a way for Jonny that if Freddie wants to do his singles, he

has got to find another partner. Yes, and the win at Wimbledon has

propelled to up the rankings and now he has an opportunity of

playing all the big tournaments. Most of the other top players have

got their own partners though. So I'm not sure how that would leave

Jonny for next year but fingers crossed. There have been they could

British doubles performances so maybe he can find another British

player. We will have to wait and see. But he has a busy weekend

ahead of him at hopefully a can have a repeat victory here. I was

reading some quotes from them. Frederik Nielsen says he will not

even see because he just enjoys being in this tournament and all

the luxury that is part of it. He says he has never stayed in a hotel

like this before. They are through to the semifinals but we are

looking forward to the grip match and these two are about to step on

to court. David Farrar -- Ferrer has a massive crime against David

Federer, who lost his number-one world ranking in Paris this week.

He pulled out of Paris to make sure he was fit and strong for this

event and boy did he approve it. It was a master does he put in in his

opening match, drawing Janko Tipsarevic and that has set the

tone, as he has become the most successful man in this tournament.

An awesome challenge for this man, 30-year-old David Ferrer of Spain.

He's just about to be announced to the crowd. A ladies and gentlemen,

returning for the fourth time, from Ladies and gentlemen, 17 career

Grand Slam finals, the world number Sir Roger is back on the court he

has grown to love. He is bidding to become only the third player in

history to win it three times in a row here. Ivan Lendl has done it.

So Roger Federer is back. He was on court yesterday receiving two

awards, sportsmanship Award, and the fans' favourite award, and you

could tell the bus and cheering started around this Arena before

they even got to his name. I think he has won that one award for about

eight years in a row, and probably the fan favourite for the same. It

was fantastic news yesterday that we heard there has been an

extension to this event for another two years, so we have it through to

2015, which is excellent. It is a great decision. It has been such a

success. We have had record crowds every year and it is great to have

the best tennis in London in Any questions? Jennifer, can you

please ask David for heads or tails? Heads. Tails, Roger. OK.

Have your photo, Jennifer! Don't run away. You will want that for

the sideboard late! A quick cuddle with Roger! But he was hurting. He

did not want to lose that world No. 1 ranking. He came here and he

proved on the Tuesday that he was back. I love watching Federer at

this time of year. He always seems to finish the year strongly. I

think it is almost psychological. They are proving to the young ones

that, hey, at the age of 31, and we are all hurting, we have all had

the same season, will have a some pains and needles, he is not the

world No. 1 but he will regain it again. -- we all have aches and

pains. But he nurse -- does love a challenge, Tim? I think a lot of

people question, all wonder how he is able to maintain his motivation,

because he is 31 now, he has more money than he will ever spend. He

has won more things than he has ever dreamt of, but he loves the

challenge and he leads beating the up and coming players. It was about

this time last year that he had won in Basel and in Paris and then he

won the world tour find up. Suddenly the world No. 1 ranking

was back on his radar. He was able to take another record, and he

obviously won another Grand Slam at took the whole of the Asian season

off. And then he entered Rotterdam when he hadn't played for quite a

while, in February. A but we talk about players and a poor Rafael

Nadal is suffering with such a bad injury and we wish him well and

hope he will be back soon, but Roger, even the back injury he had

at Wimbledon, he keeps it all under the radar. I think that is for a

number of reasons. First, his athletic ability. The way that he

moves around the court, it puts a little strain on his body. You look

at his technique and the way he plays tennis, it is just so sound.

That puts less strain on your body. But also the way that he trains

with his physical trainer, his schedule. He is meticulous about

how he is going to plan for big events. I was talking to his

manager and he said, really, he plans about two years in advance,

so he's always looking ahead to make sure he has a schedule in

place that will work for him, work for his preparation into the

tournament. And everyone is always looking to write him off. He's 31,

he has won every think, but he says, I want to carry on and he's talking

about carrying on right through to Rio de Janeiro in 2016. That will

be a hope as well as an expectation that he loves playing tennis.

Certainly, those that have retired, you realise it is a short career

opportunity. You want to maximise it. There is plenty of time to be

retired afterwards and I really think he can keep going for two, 3,

four more years. Someone like Andre Agassi, he almost had a two year

sabbatical in his career that he kept going until he was 35. Federer

is a much more efficient athlete than Agassi. His game takes a lot

less out of him. So why can't he keep going for another four or five

years? And this guy has been getting better over the past few

years. He really dedicated himself to tennis, thought possibly about

quitting at one point and then said, no, I want to be the best I can be.

That is true. Now with the different training techniques, it

is such a science now at the way that these players approach their

work and their diet and I think that perhaps can give the players

that extra longevity. So what is this guy going to do today? Because,

as you say, he has not really got the weapons. He relies on just

keeping the ball in play and wearing people than and you cannot

really where federate down. terms of a consistent performer, he

is the most consistent in terms of his levels because he delivers day-

in day-out. I just question whether he can get that level high enough

to beat Federer, which he has never done, but he will give it his best

shot. And as far as kits watching, work ethic, he could be No. 1.

is phenomenal. His work ethic and application for each and every

point. He is pretty much in the Rafa Nadal mould. He is a great

example, not only with that attitude but the way that he runs

down balls. He never gives up until the ball has bounced twice. He is

maximising his game. He needs a lot of things to happen. He perhaps

needs Federer to be a little complacent, which I would be very

surprised, knowing Roger as I did, but he needs Roger to not play his

best and he needs to take every opportunity he has got. As I said

earlier, he needs to try to believe he can win this match. It's true

that if Federer -- if Ferrer can win this match, he can overtake

Rafael Nadal in the world rankings. You think of Rafa Nadal being the

dominant force for so long, and Federer has always been the two or

three or four. This would be a chance for him to be number one.

There is your fault coach, Tim. I guess he is still enjoying his job.

Yes. It cannot be that difficult, tweaking a Ferrari! Tim, I will let

you go to the commentary box. the two winners from match-day won

to play. A final round of good matches. A packed house here inside

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

the O2. The seats will be filled He has obviously spent a lot of

time looking at the head-to-head record between Federer and Ferrer.

It is important Federer -- Ferrer gets off to a good start. Federer

has so much confidence that if he A brisk start from Ferrer. Three

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Roger Federer's coaching team. His wife at the end. He has gone

Talking how important Ferrer's mental approach is going to be, 0-

40 in the first service game. He will walk to his chair thinking,

A chance for Ferrer on that third break point. He did not do a huge

amount wrong with the approach. great approach into the corner.

Federer on the stretch, on the flick, on the half volley. He was

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Ferrer's dog shot from the back of And of course, Tim, the issue he

then faces is he has to get it pretty much into the corner because

Federer is so adept with his excellent footwork at running

around the back. Also, Federer is so confident at hitting down the

back line. Federer will be looking to drive that backhand down the

And the predicament for Ferrer is that to open up Federer's backhand,

he has to go to the forehand, but then he has to go there with

strength if he's going to do that. This man is leading the Spanish

Davis Cup team into the final. They And here is their number one player

for that final. No no doubt, of course. -- no Rafael Nadal, of

course. We hope to see him at the end of the year at the Abu Dhabi

exhibition, and then into the Spanish Open, but that is a big

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

miss for Spain, not having Rafael Well, it was looking good for three

points. That forehand on break point, I do not think he would miss

that against any other player. Given the circumstances, he has

just had three break-point opportunities, missed them all,

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Federer quickly erasing memories of He did not try to do much with the

first passing shot, but he wanted to make sure that he set himself up

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Oh, what a rally, it was classic Federer! But then the Ferrer, the

perfect pass down the line. Federer just a little bit unfortunate that

the volley clipped the top of the net and gave Ferrer much more time

to get into position. Still a great pass, it keeps him in his game at

Extraordinary spin on that second serve from Federer. When you are 5

ft 9 with a two-handed backhand, you have got to try to get a second

serve early, because if it starts getting up, you are going to

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

He learned that from the previous one, got the return good and deed

UMPIRE: Mr Ferrer is challenging the core. It is always a bit

Galpharm when the umpire decides to overrule the line judge and the

player decides to overrule the umpire. He has got it wrong! -- a

bit of fun. That is very poor umpiring, because he is meant to

make an overall when there is a clear mistake, and the worst thing

for Ferrer was that it was the Sometimes the umpires have got to

Well, I think it is still good, Tim, to seek an umpire over ruling, but

only when he is certain a mistake has been made. Their job is not

just to call the score, they are He gets a second chance to retrieve

He could have done with overruling that as in! I was going to say, a

good second serve or a bad return? I think a combination of the two,

Federer missing or the first serves, Federer only getting one of every

three first serves in right now. Very unusual to see Federer caught

in a position where he does not want to be. No, that is right, and

I think it goes to show the speed of Ferrer around the court. Federer

really opened up with the forehand, Ferrer was as tenacious as ever,

keeping the ball alive. Federer wanted to move forward but could

not get to the net quick enough. One of the great qualities of David

Ferrer, there was that controversial moment for a few

points to go where he had a break point, the overall went against him,

but he has put that firmly behind Oh! Brilliant from Federer, what an

We had a little bit of talk about years before this match, and you

really wonder whether Ferrer had another gear to go to, and Federer

showed that was six Thaw's 7th. -- You can see by Federer's reaction,

that little, one after that point. He knows how important it is to

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

So he still has not got a game on You can understand the frustration,

can't you? It was an exceptional return of serve, and it was right

on the line, Hawk-Eye showed it. Absolutely, and you want, as a

player, you want the umpire engaged in the match and obviously not just

sitting there and calling the score and looking for clear mistakes, but

also I think the umpire has to be aware of the score as well. And it

was obviously a very close shot to the line, it was on the edge of the

line, and that is one that he has got to leave alone. If Ferrer wants

to challenge for Federer thinks it out, then he should challenge it.

It will not do Ferrer's peace of mind any good that he has had six

break points and has not taken any of them. Federer is serving at 31%

first serves, and he still has not Inside the O2 Arena in south-east

London, the home of the gymnastics competition during the Olympic

Games and also the basketball finals as well. And the home of the

ATP World Tour Finals for another three years! A two-year extension

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

After three very close opening games, finally Ferrer is on the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Two drop shots that Federer has missed. That was the right shot, he

just did not quite executed. Ferrer was definitely back-pedalling,

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Moments of brilliance from Federer today, but certainly plenty to

concern his supporters. Two double fault to go with the low first

As Ferrer wanders to the other Oh! So nothing has gone his way. --

That was a great point, very well constructed up until the last shot.

He needs to read the Tim Henman manual about the half volley,

doesn't he? The half volley drop shot, we do not see Ferrer playing

But he has got it this time! His 8th break point, and Ferrer back in

He is playing his 12th match inside 16 days, David Ferrer, and the

reason for that is that he has played to an immense inner Spain

and France and won them both, Valencia, his home town title. --

he has played tournaments in Spain. And in Paris, the Masters 1,000

event. Here are the winners of those tournaments this year. It is

sewn up by the big boys, isn't it? One of the reasons, I guess, you

say it is surprising that Ferrer has not won one of these second

deer tournaments now, and there you can see the reason. I guess it is a

little bit surprising that Murray has not one any of them. He has won

eight or nine Masters 1,000 titles in his career. It is the same at

the Grand Slams, when you think that Federer has won 17, Rafael

Nadal has won 11, Djokovic 5. That is 33 between them, it does not

leave too many for the rest! obviously the same pattern follows

with the Grand Slams as well. It shows that the very best players

have the schedules down to 80, doesn't it? It certainly does, they

are preparing for the main events, but it is credit to them and it

highlights how consistent they are. It is amazing they are always in

the latter stages of the look major tournaments. Paris is the place to

win your first title, isn't it? Anyone can win there! Especially in

He is too modest to tell you himself, but that year when Tim won

the Paris title, the biggest title of his career, at that point what a

list of scalps, Tim. I should not have started this... Federer!

That is why off the net cord. Davydenko, does that complete the

list? One more in the final. The final was the easiest match and the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Of course, it is only five or six miles north of here where he

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

collapsed on the field at White I think that will be a very

relevant statistic moving forward if Federer can engage forever in

Federer really having to hit the lines there, and Ferrer moving

around as if he was being employed by a computer game player! Left

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Well, Tim, when you have lost to a guy 13 times in a row and you lose

the first three games of your 14th match, it takes some guts to get

the first set back to 3-3. games have taken more than 30

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

minutes, and that does not often Great change of there from Federer.

-- Change-up. He is serving so inconsistently, so it is a good

serve to go to, plenty of margin He is actually winning more points

on his second serve, Federer, and he is on his first in this match so

far. That gate serve to the back manned -- that kick serve to the

That serve is effective on this court, because it is very abrasive

and the ball will really grip, and you'll get some movement away. It

is also effective against Ferrer, because he has a short reach, is a

small guy with a two-handed backhand. It is not an easy serve

for Ferrer to deal with. Another ad in the life of Roger Federer,

Wimbledon champion once more. -- another big year. He lost to Tomas

Berdych in the quarter-finals of the US Open, the semi-finals in

Australia and that the French. What you think 2013 has in store for him,

Tim? Will he continue to improve? Has he got anywhere else to go?

That is the question we all want to find out the answer too, but the

reality is that he has got to keep improving or he will not stay at

the top of the game, because the younger guys, Murray, Djokovic,

there is a question mark over what will happen with Nadal, but they

are getting better all the time, and I think he will, he has got so

much experience, and he is going to be very keen to take advantage of

his final years, however long he A big tennis fan, Sir Ian McKellen,

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

who we saw a moment ago. It looked like it skidded a little

bit. Federer very late on that Again there, two, you sensed

Federer knew exactly where that ball was coming. He was in a

perfect position for the shot. it is hard to criticise Ferrer,

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Federer's chance to restore aura -- Federer made the move to get the

Unbelievable to have made the forehand pass, made this backhand

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Always the sense, when these two play, that Federer, the likely

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

winner, has never lost to the A big game for Chelsea last night.

Celtic played Barcelona and Certainly and a good second serve

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

but at 4-4, 15-30, Ferrer will not Just upping the pace a little bit

with his forehand, do you sense, two, in that last game? Ferrer was

having to work so hard with his backhand. Yes, and Federer will

always be looking to try to get that forehand in play but

surprising for me is that Federer is serving 40% first serves and

only winning 59 % when the first serve goes in. We have seen for

years in the indoor environment Federer serving effortlessly, up to

70 %. And he has struggled from his rhythm. You feel Ferrer has got to

take advantage, because I do not think Federer will carry on serving

Two thirtysomethings here. The last time two thirtysomethings played in

the year-end Championships was Andre Agassi and Ivanisevic, out

there in Sydney. But they did not actually play in the Masters Cup

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

When you go down the line, you go over the high part of the net. It

is going to be the hardest shot, but Federer making it look very

How many times have we seen it over the years? A game away from the set,

receiving serve, choosing the Talking about Federer's trials and

tribulations, all of a sudden, three points later, three set

The set took 49 minutes and, frankly, the first 48 meant

absolutely nothing. Federer choosing that final game to play

some of his best stuff. And he wins the first set yet again against the

man against whom he has never lost. SUE BARKER: Federer in control of

this match. Ferrer having so many break-point chances but Federer, as

we have seen before, when he needs against Janko Tipsarevic, trying to

get their first win on the board at these ATP World Tour finals. You

can follow it live on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra this evening.

Then we are back again tomorrow and in the afternoon at 1:45pm on BBC

Two and BBC HD. Also you can follow it online. It is Novak Djokovic

against Tomas Berdych. As we were saying earlier, if Djokovic loses

in straight sets, it could be right down to the calculators as to who

goes through. There is a mathematical chance that Djokovic

could not go through and Tsonga, who hasn't won a match at, if he

wins against Murray, he has a chance to go through. So so many

permutations in that match tomorrow. We will be live with it. That is

tomorrow but back here, a real test of stamina and belief. Canon David

Ferrer find something to get the first win on the board against the

great man, Roger Federer? Back to towards the end. The drive volley,

which I ate sense is his shot of confidence, when he steps in and

knows he can take it. Certainly, when he has been hitting those

aggressive shots down the line, he has been putting Ferrer under

pressure. He is certainly looking Federer qualifies for the

semifinals if he wins in straight sets. That will be his group win as

We had a few statistics early in the week about distance run during

the point. I would like to have seen Ferrer's. There we go, 67

It was an appetising target that he had there. Still have to make the

It was a good close from Federer because he did not really execute

that drive volley as well as he would have liked. Nice and tight to

the net. Giving the angle to quit -- to put the volleys away. Oh,

And it was the short slice here that set this point up, Federer

able to sneak into the net, take the volley when Ferrer was not

expecting it, that just lost balance a little bit. Able to get

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Again, Tim, the chances go by for Four of his six service games,

David Ferrer, has had to go to I think, in the context of this

match, Ferrer will be telling himself he does not have to do much

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

differently. He just has to take It was Federer's 28th unforced

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Oh, dear! David Ferrer's a legs doing overtime in that rally! It is

a slow torture. Ferrer is doing so Some power Federer is able to

generate there, off the back foot as well. It is the power but it is

the ability to be able to flatten The what is Roger Federer's est

shot, two? I think his forehand. When you talk about taking an

aspect of somebody else's game and implementing it into yours, the

first one you would go to his serve, but they are almost a freak of

nature at 6ft 10 and 6ft five. The most devastating shot you could use

the most often would be the Federal forehand. -- Federer forehand.

has won 17 major championships. Followed around the world by his

army of Swiss fans. There are Spanish supporters as well. I have

been watching quite a few of Federer's practice sessions this

week and those hard court Swiss are there at everyone. There is the

And even when other players have been involved in matches here

during the sessions at the O2 this week, even when there is just a

glimpse of Federer on the big screen during a historical sequence

It sounded like Ferrer was having a good chat with his player box,

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Oh there is that backhand up the line as well. Ferrer is going to

Ferrer going for just a bit too much on that second serve, 110 mph,

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

faster than some of his first Not unusual to see him miss it the

odd backhand like that. Generally speaking, I think the Federer

His backhand has got better because everybody is so frightened to go to

his forehand, so he has had plenty of practice on his backhand. Well,

he is a reluctance challenger, Federer, he has never really got on

with Hawk-Eye, but when he thinks a mistake has been made, he will use

Do you think he has changed the way he has played his backhand over the

years? I think most of his shots he has played with a little bit more

spin. When the courts were quicker and the ball was coming on Tue,

probably flatten the ball a little bit, but he does generate

incredible racket head speed, did himself that spin and margin for

Oh, that is in from Ferrer! What a Federer did very well to pick this

volley up, but Ferrer was even better on the stretch. Was that

Very clever, but I have not commentated on many sliced 4 tennis

approaches from Federer. I think he was looking to fake the drop shot

and pushed it deep. He still managed to control the forehand

I guess an example of the sort of point that, if Ferrer is going to

add a chance in this match, he He does, really, because looking at

the statistics, Federer is still serving at 44% first serves, and

Federer is never going to get this This is the thing about him, Tim,

even when he is having a relative off day, he is playing shots that

so few other people can make. Certainly, and he's still up a set

and 3-2. Against the world number 5. That is the sign of the great

champions, this is not a good day for Roger Federer, but he is still

finding a way to keep his nose in front and keep the pressure on

Sometimes you can read too much into the statistics. I think

Murray's match against Djokovic was a good example. In the first set,

his first serve percentage was not particularly good, but he won it.

In the second set, it went up considerably but he lasted. They

are going to be the critical moments, who plays well on those,

and when you look at the break point statistics, Ferrer has had 10

break-points and won 1, Federer has had four and won two. It has been

those opportunities that Federer has been able to capitalise.

had a really good record against this man for a while, and then you

carried on playing! Yeah, I probably should have quit when I

was ahead. He was 6-1 up at one point. Correct me if I am wrong,

but you played just a single match with David Ferrer and actually beat

him in Madrid, which must have felt good. Yeah, I'm not sure he was

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Not too sure if, given that point again, he would choose to go down

the line. I think he probably went down the line because he went

cross-court last time he came in running for a drop shot. But

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

He is sticking with it. A little bit of variety as well, drop shot

helping him to win at game. -- that game. Juan Martin del Potro, in his

opening match, that was an impressive win in three sets. Great

to see the O2 Arena absolutely packed for that one, going crazy

A lot of good tennis that night. It just shows how good it is to have

When you have got the top eight players in the world, or the top

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

nine with Rafael Nadal not here, One of the most straightforward

service games that Federer has had today. It has been a little bit of

a struggle. Federer, world number two right now, just slipping back,

not play in Paris this year at the end of the season, allowing

Djokovic to finish the year as world number 1 for the second year

in a row. What an achievement that is, considering the opposition.

Likewise Andy Murray to come in at number three. The top eight players

in the world qualifying, as Tim mentioned a moment ago. Rafael

Nadal not here, so that is why Tipsarevic is in, but beneath him a

clutch of players who were in calculators out. Richard Gasquet is

here as the first alternative. John Isner of the United States.

Actually, Tim, look, the USA at number 14 with John is now. The

retirement of Andy Roddick this year and the injury of Mardy Fish,

this is the first year since rankings began that that is not an

And in all last time, there was probably not just one, there was

probably three or four with the likes of Andre Agassi, Todd Martin,

Pete Sampras, we have been spoiled Well, this is the game where

Federer -- Ferrer really has to be cared for. We saw what happened at

the end of the first set, Federer breaking right at the end of it.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

This is the equivalent game right Mr Ferrer is challenging the call.

What a shame, in a way, that rarely ends like that, it was breathtaking

tennis. Brilliant hitting from both players, corner to corner. But was

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Mr Ferrer as one challenge Please do not disturb the players

between first and second serves, thank you. You could see Federer

very anxious to get his forehand into play there. He did not quite

A couple of shanks off the frame in the game for Federer as he tries to

hit over the top more. I suppose that is inevitable. It is the angle

of the racket head. Nevertheless, he is a perfectionist, Tim, he

You can see what that game meant to Down 3-4, 0-30, he was in a spot of

bother, but four straight point getting out of trouble and may be a

chance to put some pressure on the He is not sure about that one

either. I am not sure if he is in the mood for trusting the umpire

This is the problem, isn't it, Tim? When you play the very best players

in the world, you just have to go for the lines. He is not missing by

Just a couple of millimetres away on a couple of points, and it is a

You saw how hard Ferrer had to work for his serve at 3-4, and he gets

back on level terms at 4-4, and Federer hits seven shots and he has

won his serve. Four first serves, a couple of forehands, pressure right

back on Ferrer. How is the Federer motivation these days? No sign of

an end of his career anytime soon. No, definitely not, and it is an

indication of how much he loves what he does. I have spoken to him

about planning his schedule moving forward, and he and his manager

amazingly always looking about two years in advance. There has been

talk of the Olympics in Rio, Halle is wanting to play there as well,

and why not? There is plenty of time to be retired, he is only 31.

Andre Agassi was playing until he was 35, and Federer is a much

better athletes than Agassi, as good as he was. There is much less

demand on Federer's body, lesser ailments to deal with, and

hopefully he can keep going as long as possible, because we should

enjoy him while we have got him. South America very much on

Federer's radar, not just the Olympics, but he is going on an

end-of-season tour, I think that is one for the brand! Amazingly, he

has never been to South America, but I think is going to be playing

at six different venues, or six exhibitions, six nights. I can

think of a few million reasons why I do not think it is to collect Air

I asked him about it earlier in the year, I said, why are you doing

this? Roger, we love you in Venezuela, we love you in Colombia,

so I thought we would go! They will The coach there of Ferrer in the

cap and the rest of his team. Their man is serving to stay in the match

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Ever go on an end-of-season tour, That is lovely from Ferrer, isn't

He certainly has not distracted or frustrated. -- has not got. He has

kept plugging away, played some When you can generate that much

racket head speed, you can play that shot and there is a lot of

margin for error, clearing the net by a good 18 inches, probably one

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Oh, Ferrer having to a resort to a Ferrer was down by the line judge

in front of us here! Not enough to recover the ball, but you have to

admire his enthusiasm at the end of their long, hard season. He just

will not give up until that ball He is such a great example, isn't

he, to one of the tennis players, I would say? Having a professional

attitude and then work on your backhand! It is the one thing you

can control, you know, you can work and your backhand and your shots,

sometimes they will be good, sometimes they will be bad, but you

can control your work ethic and desire. And Ferrer is as good an

example as anyone. We were talking about the off-season, and celebrity

tours and that sort of thing. If anyone needs a lie-down, it is

Ferrer. He has played more matches than anyone else, and yet he has

still got the Davis Cup final to come, and with the absence of

Rafael Nadal, there is more responsibility on him to lead that

team against the Czechs. Very much so, and this time the final is

going to be in the Czech Republic, and I think it is safe to say it

will not be a clay court they are playing on! Indoor hard, so at

least he is getting plenty of practice winning these indoor hard

titles. Nicolas Almagro is their second singles player. Granollers

A great setting for tennis, it really has been a huge success,

these World Tour Finals inside the O2. Talk of it may be heading to

other cities around the world long term, but why? It works so well

here, the top 10 dominated by Europe pain players at the moment,

that is the other thing, it is so convenient for all but one of these

guys. Dash European players. It is, and it is great that this has moved

around the world, we have had great times in Frankfurt, Sydney, not so

many in Houston! But it really is working well here, record

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Trouble now for Ferrer at 0-30. double fault and a bad unforced

error there from the forehand of David Ferrer. It puts Federer just

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

He doesn't get many cheap points with his first serve that he will

-- but he will be delighted with Excellent recovery from Ferrer!

It really is great resistance. Ferrer played two very poor points

in that service game but was able to respond with the next four. He

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

keeps himself alive and gets it He has miscued a couple of those

backhands down the line today. If you are going to hit that backhand

down the line, you have got to go for it to the Federer forehand, but

really getting the right position Now that really is good. Caught by

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

surprise, Federer, in the middle of What a second serve! Great second

serve, and the first point of this tie-break Federer had a similar

situation and ended up losing the point. He was keen for the same

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

He has really made so few soft, unforced errors, Ferrer, and at

this critical points, there was the backhand there at 2-3, and another

similar shot that could prove Doesn't that shot illustrate what a

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

It was almost like a left-handed UMPIRE: 5-3, Federer. One serve to

come for Federer in this sequence We talked about how poorly Roger

Federer had served this whole match, and then come the tie-break, four

consecutive first serves, two aces, one and returnable. We have seen

That was a gutsy forehand from Ferrer, match point down. He never

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 70 seconds

Huge mutual respect between the two, as always, but for the 14th time,

Roger Federer it's David Ferrer. He made it tight today that it was a

familiar feeling for him. And hour and 48 minutes of toil. And he

comes out on the losing side. Still has to believe that he can qualify

for the knockout phase. He did back in 2007. He will get a fine

reception, I am sure. Remember, he ran Andy Murray so close in at

Wimbledon quarterfinal. Nice pen, Roger! So Federer, in winning in

straight sets, qualifies for the semifinals. The first player that

these will tour finals to make it into the last four. It is a

familiar place for him. He has won this tournament for the last two

years. He's going for a sixth in total. Always finishes the year

wants to end with a title on Monday. He first won in 2003, in Houston,

Sir Roger Federer winning against David Ferrer. Here he is.

Here we go again. They always know my first question is going to beat

so bad they just get it out the way like that. Congratulations, through

to the semifinals once again. The tenths time in this event. I am

extremely happy, yes. It was a tough match. I thought David had a

great run and so he was so deserving. He puts in so much

effort. It was a long match for two sets, so it was that tough. I am

extremely happy. I think I have played a great match. You said I

qualified. I am thrilled and relieved that that is the case.

Does it change how you feel going into your next match, because you

have already qualified? No, not really. Back in 2002 the same thing

happened. There it was extremely difficult. It was the first time

around. And you want to keep a clean sheet going into the

semifinals. You do not want to lose your last match of the round-robin.

You do not show much compassion for David on the court. You are 14-0

against him it now. Can you show some compassion, talk about him a

bit? I can! He is so respected by the fellow competitors. He has a

great attitude. It is really nice to play against him. It is great

fair play and great sportsmanship, so for me, personally, I like

playing against him, not because of the 14-0 up because he is a great

guy and a great player. Congratulations. We will see you

Sunday whatever. So you. BARKER: It was not Federer at his

very best today but he got the job done and won in straight sets so he

is guaranteed to be through to the qualify for the semifinals. It is

Del Potro against Tipsarevic tonight. You'll be able to follow

that on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra. Tomorrow are match in the

afternoon is Novak Djokovic who has won his two matches so far. It is

So Federer has marched his way through. He was not at his best but

he just has that ability to raise his game when it matters.

certainly does. He's said afterwards, he thought he had

played a great match. We might have to get in the BDA to show him some

of the things. 39 unforced errors. Yes. It is the sign of a great

champion when he is playing the fifth ranked player in the world,

he does not play his best and he's still able to come through. The

history of them match up, he has that enormous confidence. Ferrer is

obviously confident of it. -- conscious of it. It must be so

frustrating, Johnson, for Ferrer, because he had so many break points,

won so many points but still has nothing to show for it. You feel

for him because it -- he gave a great match today but it shows the

class of Federer that even on a bad date he can put away the world No.

5 in straight sets. How difficult it is -- is it in a group stage? Is

it a different mindset? If you let it, it could be a different mindset,

and Eddie nothing unique that to happen because if you do you are

going out a bit distracted up and without a clear mind set and game-

plan the way you want to play it. Federer will want to keep

dominating. He has the best record in these championships. He just

wants to go in with a clean sheet and if that could be 3-0 from his

round-robin then that is what he will want. Some people might say,

if you win the group you are going to play the runner-up in the other

group, so if he came second you might play a slightly weaker player

who has come through... I do not think he will look at it like that.

He wants to go out on the court and win, simple as that. And he has a

match now way he can just relax. He has since some days where he can

just chill out before he gets into the semifinals. If do not forget it

is Del Potro he is playing. He beat him in the US Open a few years ago

and then beat him a few weeks ago in Basel. That does not go down

well. That was the match that lost in the number one, because then he

had that in Paris, he knew it had gone. He has got a great record

against most people and a gates Del Potro, but Del Potro does give him

trouble. -- against Del Potro. Federer will enjoy that challenge

and he will look to correct the tables from Basel and he will want

to go through confident to the semifinals. It is difficult being a

competitor when you are used to playing matches when it is all or

nothing. This next match against Del Potro isn't. He has already

qualified. He has and you cannot get away from that. The best bit

for Federer is that there is not the stress and nervous energy. He

has got through. The reality is that at his age, 31, he wants to

conserve his energy, so he has a day off tomorrow. It will not be,

irrespective of the outcome, the most stressful of matches, because

he is through to the semifinals, and I think that will work in his

favour. And as you say, so called we go person from the other group,

we have no idea who is going to come through from that group. We

enjoyed a wonderful match yesterday after being with Djokovic and

Murray. We will just enjoy some of the points that these two played.

They were slugging it out. It is always such a battle with these two.

Yes, there was no easing into the match. They are going from corner

It really was Murray at this stage who dominated proceedings. Look how

close to the baseline Murray is. We talked about his changes under Ivan

Lendl and it is good to see him stepping in like that. That was

fantastic play, in the first game of the match. It is so brutal when

these two play. They have similar styles. Their problem is that they

move so well. Pete is so difficult to put the ball away. It keeps

coming back. -- it is so difficult. Djokovic dig such a good drop there

of sticking in and not getting frustrated, turning the tables in

the second set. This is match point. And we love a bit of Roger Federer,

as we have seen this afternoon. He has still got all the skills that

is, in the autumn of 2012, is the eminent rivalry in the men's tennis

right now. It is their seventh meeting of the year. Djokovic won

in Shanghai and at the world will finals. These two, born within a

week on each other in May 1987, are going to do battle many, many more

times. It will be fantastic to follow. Marray lost that match but

now has to concentrate on playing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and after that

match, we spoke to Jonathan. -- he How will you prepare for Siambr?

Try to get some rest tonight. songth. -- how will you prepare for

playing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga? knows what the scenario will be

when I go out onto the court. I will try my best. Are you feeling

all right? Yes, everyone will be a bit stretched out right now but

there are no easy matches here so you need to prepare for some tough

battles. They are all tough battles, aren't they? Jonathan, you were at

the US Open. Have you seen a change in him since he won the Olympics

and then the Grand Slam title? There was an interesting moment at

the opening here on Saturday night, when all the players were

introduced on the state and Andy was next to Roger Federer and he

was asked, what is his secret to your success? And Andy confident

the Patrick Roger on the back and said, it was all thanks to this guy,

he made me cry at Wimbledon. It was not premeditated or patronising,

but he exceeded so much confidence. I do not think a year ago Andy

Murray would have done at that as a Grand Slam winner, it was almost

like him saying, Gleeson, you have your 17 majors but I am here now.

He does seem to have blossomed since then because it must have

just been a huge relief for him. Yes, when you reflect on the whole

sum I think Andy and Ivan Lendl talking after the Wimbledon final,

Ivan Lendl said that handy would never play a match with as much

pressure as that. You saw in Andy's tears how much it went to him and

how much the public wanted it. But three weeks later to come to the

Olympic final, gold medal match against Federer, and to play the

most amazing tennis and beat him over five sets with just the loss

of seven games, that was a huge moment in his career and he went on

that ways of confidence into the US Open to get that Slam under his

belt. It will really open the gates to many more. He really is that

good. He has been good in the Australian Open. I think he really

can win three of the four. I think that match at the Olympics was

really important, because the manner in which he demolished Roger

Federer, just four weeks after the Wimbledon final, and he said the

support he got from the crowd meant so much to him. So many people that

week said, this could be the turning point. Ivan Lendl said in

advance of the US Open, you have already won a major because you

have won the Olympics. He viewed it back highly. It has been a

fantastic summer for Andy Murray. A complete turning point for him. But

he was worried it was going to change his life. He had a

conversation with Ivan Lendl earlier this year and said, this is

not going to change me, is it, if I win one? And he said, that is the

last thing you want to worry about! It is interesting he was even

thinking in those terms. It is difficult because he is in the

spotlight now he does not like that side of it. He just wants to play

tennis. It is not their popularity can't -- it is not a popularity

contest out there and he wants to concentrate on tennis. That is the

beauty of having Ivan Lendl in his corner. He lost his first three

Grand Slam finals, won his fourth. Andy has been able to draw on his

experiences. I think his attitude on the court is getting better.

There were moments in the third set against Djokovic where he started

to get a little frustrated but on Rosol, dealing with adversity, he

is doing better and better. Tomorrow money -- Murray is on

court. In the evening it is Novak Djokovic. He was on Court earlier

this week, collecting two drive these. He won the number one Player

of the Year award. He was presented by the chairman of the ATP. It was

a wonderful moment for Novak Djokovic. He lost the number one

spot at Wimbledon to Roger Federer, just got it back is Monday, and

received this trophy. This is what he had to say about it. Regardless

of the result that I have this week, it has been a fantastic year, and

ending as number one of the world is a huge achievement for me and my

team. I could not be more proud. Particularly finishing back to back

at the end of the year for that number one slot, which has not been

done for a few years. That is a particularly big achievement.

Considering the competitiveness of 2012 and having in mind that we had

the four different Grand Slam winners this year, it brings a lot

of entertainment, a lot of attention, to our sport, and a lot

more interest, I think. Tennis is really the high rise at this moment

and we have great players and great quality. The top four all have a

van Slam title that he has the tomorrow on BBC Two and BBC HD, as

he takes on Tomas Berdych from the Czech Republic. And I say he is

number one, Novak Djokovic, you make history by winning Grand Slams,

Yes, and at the end of last year, Federer made his intentions known

and he managed to be number one during the year but the end of the

year number one, it is going to emphasise what you're year has been

like. When you reflect on this era, it is so tough. There are so many

great players. So for him to finish number one is an unbelievable

achievement and I think that will give him the freedom to really

finish of this event with a bang. And also to do it after the year he

had last year, because everyone was saying, how is he going to follow

that? OK, he did not win three Grand Slam titles but he still

finishes the year as number one. Great to see the memories there

from Melbourne. Everything that has happened this year, so many

memories we have all got, but back Australian Open finale. Remember,

he beat Murray in five hours, and came back and beat Nadal in the six

hours! It was a superhuman effort and I think that has shown how it

tennis has moved on. Yes, it was not so long ago that if you played

a four now match everyone thought that was a long match, but they

pushed the boundaries of their athletic ability and how good they

are backed retrieving, staying in these volleys. There have been time

where we have seen 55 shot rallies where they are not missing hitting

from the corner and the accumulation of that is these

incredible matches, and let's hope there are a few more this week, and

many more this year. Thank you very much. Tomorrow, Novak Djokovic

against Tomas Berdych, at 1:45pm tomorrow. Today, Roger Federer, it