Day 7: Semi-Final: Djokovic v Del Potro Tennis: World Tour Finals

Good afternoon. Welcome to the Barclays ATP World Tour finals.

Thankfully, we can throw the calculators out of the window as

the group finals are open. I am on a cable car with the Tote -- on a

cable car to the owed to Arena. You get a great view of the landmarks.

The main focus of attention will be on this magnificent venue. We are

down to the last four and it really boasts a who is who of tennis. Andy

Murray will take on Roger Federer this evening. This afternoon we

have the world No. 1 Novak Djokovic up against the former US Open

This is the scene inside the O2 Arena. Sell out crowds all week.

Fabulous matches to look forward to today. Djokovic against del Potro

on court in a few minutes. Tonight, Murray against Federer. Tim and

Andrew are with me. When you look at the start of the week, these are

the four to pick. Very much so. It is great we can talk about the

matches because there have been so many permutations over the last few

days. I think the semi-final line- up is absolutely fantastic. They

have all played well to get to this position. The match we have got

this afternoon, I think it is going to be very interesting. I was so

impressed with del Potro yesterday to beat Federer and qualify for the

semi-finals. He will need to produce something along the same

lines to have a chance. Federer has got to pick himself up because

Murray has won the last two meetings. I do not think Federer

will be too disappointed. In the press conference yesterday, he

said... It was a dismissal of that. Is it the end of the world? No. He

won the group because of the result last night with David Fred beating

Janko Tipsarevic. Hit it does not Manta -- it does not matter.

Whether or not he can approach a match with Andy Murray with any

confidence even indoors where he is still came, I do not know. I think

Murray possibly has his measure. Interesting. This afternoon it is

del Potro against Djokovic. That match will be live on BBC Two.

Tonight, you can follow Federer and Murray on Radio 5 Live. I do not

think it was the easiest scenario for him. Any time he steps on the

court, he wants to win. But in that match, it was not the most

important. He was already through to the semi-finals. For me, I think

he has got to raise his level. He has enough confidence with the

history of his performance in this event. He has won the last two

years. But I think his match against David Ferrer... He has

played OK but nothing more than that. The way Murray is playing in

front of his home crowd, I think Federer will have to raise his game

or I see Murray coming through that. Federer makes a habit of doing that.

He steps it up at the important times. The round robin is one part

of the tournament. You can lose and still go through. Now we are at the

knockout stages. They are all going to be very motivated to finish the

year on a high. Great to see from Martin del Potro right back at the

end of tournaments again. You had some amazing statistics yesterday.

He had back-to-back wins against Federer indoors. Nobody has done

that since 2002, Lleyton Hewitt. Nobody has beaten him back to back,

Federer, it indoors in 10 years. We are sitting next door here to

someone, Sue, who had... It was all right for a stage. How do you beat

him indoors? That was the way del Potro played yesterday. I thought

his serving was very impressive but it was the way he soaked up

Federer's power from the baseline. The question mark on del Potro is

his movement. If you can get him off balance, you can exploit him.

He took a step back when Federer was tried to dictate the points

yesterday and he was able to soak up the play and when he got the

chance he probably hits the ball as hard as anyone... Nadal has got

unbelievable power. Against someone that news as well as Djokovic, del

Potro has got to play at a very high level and go for his shots and

see whether he can maintain it for two or three sets. Tonight, it is

Murray and Federer. What a difference summer or month on the

same court at Wimbledon because Murray ended in tears when he lost

the Wimbledon final but this is winning the Olympic gold medal.

come back one month after suffering the disappointment of having a set

lead and being so close to winning the Wimbledon final and getting the

monkey off his back, a month later he comes back and I have to say

Roger Federer was a bit tired after the semi-final but not taking

anything away from Murray. They met price on the court. Let us hear

what Roger Federer had to say yesterday. -- they met twice.

think he has gained a lot of confidence which he has had over a

long period. His rankings have been changing... He has been

consistently top five for many years. To me, that has been one of

the impressive things. Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal,

consistently at a young age they were achieving quarter-finals or

even winning. What Andy, it was only a matter of time. For me, he

was always going to be good enough. He beat me, Rafa Nadal and Novak

Djokovic consistently enough to believe that he could beat us in

the finals. He did that with Novak Djokovic at the US Open. I think he

is only going to get stronger and believe he can do it. It could be

at the Australian Open which suits him well. In my opinion, he should

have been in the finals last year. A heartbreaking loss against Novak

Djokovic. An amazing summer for him. The reaction of a champion after

losing Wimbledon finals to come back and play as well as he did, it

is very impressive. Huge respect there from Roger Federer. He

appreciates the fact that Murray is now a Grand Slam champion. Murray

had some massive disappointments in getting to the three Grand Slam

finals. That is where Ivan Lendl has had a big impact. He had very

similar circumstances that the start of his career, losing his

first three Grand Slams. His knowledge and experience, I do not

think it has changed Andy's game necessarily, but it has added to

his mental application on the court. He deals with adversity a bit

better and the proof is in the pudding. He won the Olympic gold

and he is US Open champion. Irrespective of what happens here,

next year could be up to another level for Andy. The Olympic final,

the four players involved here were the four players involved there.

Del Potro defeated Novak Djokovic in a very emotional match. It was.

This is why tennis belongs at the Olympic games these days. These

guys gave absolutely everything. Argentina only one four medals at

the Olympic games and this was one of them. To come back from the

longest match two days later and to defeat Novak Djokovic was a

fabulous effort from del Potro. Of all of the players, Jo-Wilfried

Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, this is the guy, del Potro, who could break

this quartet. It was a wonderful moment. How can you tell me the

Olympics should not have tennis in it? Sure, there are other sports

that deserve equally to be in it. Squash and all of the rest. But

these guys gave it all. He said that was the proudest moments

standing on the podium. It is fantastic. Federer was talking

about the Olympics in London for four years and he is already

The US Open quarter-final in straight sets. Djokovic does not

let things get him down. He has been in the final of six of the

eight last Grand Slams over the past two years. Two years back-to-

back year ending No. 1. Not even Nadal has done that. A great player.

Also, his flexibility and stamina. Just a few examples that we have

picked out. What an athlete. And the speed. Some of this is natural

and some of this is an amazing amount of very hard work. Djokovic

has always been a bendy drive. When I suggest that saw him in 2007, I

could not believe some of the angles -- a bendy drive. Watching

del Potro trying to get through him today should be fascinating.

Playing on a hard court... I remember when he first started

sliding, I thought it would be a recipe for disaster. But it is all

there's something he does naturally now. To get him off balance is

virtually impossible. He reckons some of the flexibility in his

ankles comes from skiing because his father and uncle were all

professional skiers. Some of it is natural. I have seen him in the

Wimbledon change in wind doing the splits standing up. One of the

trainers holes and down and the other trainer Benn's hope in half.

-- holds him down. And the other trainer Ben see him in half. It is

the way it has to be now. It is an area these guys have taken the game

to a new level. Now when you see their athletic ability, their speed,

balanced... Also the fact that they might have to do it for five, six

hours in the Grand Slams. It is definitely an area that is

incredibly impressive. I love their coat by del Potro yesterday, he

said, you have got three big names in the semi-finals and one big dive.

He is a giant with a massive reach -- one big guy. He is a win will

with a tennis racket. He takes a big swing. He is only 24 and still

improving. He is the youngest of this quartet left in the semi-

finals. There is still improvement. Maybe this weekend we will see him

cut through Novak Djokovic and when the final as well. It is possible.

Here they come. The world No. 7 from Argentina, a

Ladies and gentlemen, the Australian Open champion and the

Great ovation for them in front of a packed crowd yet again. It is

incredible. 1 million spectators will come through the turnstiles.

Such a successful tournament. success story. It was undeniable

that London had a strong case to keep this event and this week it

was announced that it will be here in 2014 and 2015. I am really

pleased. In a couple of years when they renegotiate, it will be

interesting. If Andy Murray is well No. 1, will they take it away from

London? I hope not. This match is something to look forward to. Novak

Djokovic looking for his 74th match win this year. That would make him

equal with David forever. Another great and very busy year. They know

this is the last event. They can hopefully finish the year on a high.

Then it is their chance to have some rest and recuperation before

they start the merry-go-round all again in the Australia. Two

fantastic matches for the semi- finals. We are using the net

machine. Please be seated. We have Hawk-Eye. Please let me know in a

timely and clear manner. You have to be quick between first and

second serves. Questions? No. or tails? Heads he has called.

Polls. Serve. OK. Photo, please. Their quick photo before they start

the warm-up. Talking about the US Open, although it was straight sets,

it was closer than the score suggested. It was closer. These

matches always come down to a point or two. Between these guys, there

is always maximum five or 10 points between them in terms of total

amount of points won. There are such things as been points -- big

points. Del Potro's match with Federer yesterday, that is one

aspect that Federer was doing well. Del Potro only had one break point

in the whole match. Early in the first set. Federer made the

unforced error. That was the difference. It will be interesting

to see how many chances he can create today. Djokovic, with his

athletic ability, he will be able to make him play a lot more balls

and keeping him under pressure. With the head-to-head record, I

think they have played eight times and Djokovic has won six. I

definitely have him as the favourite. He has had more top 10

wins than anyone else this year. 22. Another amazing year. He was a

match or two away from a historic... The worst result he had been Slams

was a semi-final at Wimbledon. After last year, that seems almost

average. An amazing hero we are in in tennis. For him to go from

perennial world No. 3 up to 12 No. 1 last year, that was incredible.

Federer and Nadal where the definition of tennis and then he

blew it apart. Murray responded. is a great era because he changed

his diet, his rackets, all sorts of things, but he is such a complete

things, but he is such a complete player. Are there any weaknesses.

Not really. 18 months ago, you would have said his serve was

looking suspect. His right elbow was very low. It was almost as if

he was not bending the elbow to get into a throwing position. Lots of

double faults. He has got rid of that. Now when you look at they

serve position they play Arnaud, they are relatively uniform. --

they play on now. They are all pretty similar. He played so well

on the clay at Roland Garros. He has been Wimbledon champion. He can

play on anything. I think this surface is as good as any for her.

This guy has got to be so confident coming after the victory yesterday.

He will be feeling marvellous. He did not know whether he would go to

the semi-finals yesterday. Here he finds himself under the spotlight

once again. What we are seeing is his emergence up another half level.

After he hurt his wrist two years ago after he had won the US Open,

it takes a lot to fight back. He was in demand of 58 in the end of

2010 -- he was back 258. Now he is looking to win this tournament. He

is right in among these guys now. He bounced out and was first there

for the coin toss. As Andy said, a youngest player left in the draw.

He is only 25. Such an emerging young talent. Everyone thought he

was destined for the top. I played against him in Tokyo when he was 18,

19. He hit the ball incredibly hard. He did not have the balance or

corporation with his movement but you can see he was a great prospect.

He is such a great job to break through in the Grand Slams. Nadal

has won 11. Federer has 117. Murray has got one. It does not leave many

for the others -- Federer has won 17. He will not out rally Djokovic.

I think Federer with his movement when he is defending, I think he is

not quite moving as well as he once did. That is one of the great

aspects of Djokovic's game. I have never seen anyone defender as well

as he does on a hard court. I question... The challenge for del

Potro is whether he can be that aggressive and hit the ball that

flat and get through Djokovic because I think Djokovic will took

be able to make him play the extra shots and get him out of the court

and probably come through. You have to remember, this guy is the only

one unbeaten still in the championship. Mentally, that is an

important factor. He is obviously on a roll and feeling confident. He

has sewn up the No. 1 ranking. This is the icing on the cake. This

could be his last match or he could have one more often. He will leave

nothing left in the tank. -- one more after. Play about to get under

way. Tim will make his way to the commentary box where we will join

Andrew Castle. COMMENTATOR: the commentary box is

not too far away. 17,800, up the capacity of the arena. I cannot see

any NTC is at the moment. -- empty seats. When the music stops

bellowing and we settle down, I think we could have a very intense

semi-final match. Del Potro just skipping back to his chair on the

other side. The Argentine, he is giving off all the signs of someone

who is absolutely adoring being out on the court. I think he is going

on the court. I think he is going to come out and hit the ball as

hard as he possibly can from the world -- word go. Considering that

Djokovic is the best defender in the game, him and Murray anyway, I

think that could make for interesting chemistry out there.

Here is our Tim. A decent atmosphere in here. It is

incredible. Such a great advertisement for the game. A

stadium like this. It is packed for every session. Morning, noon and

A very lively atmosphere. The first semi-final. REFEREE: Novak Djokovic

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

She is looking relaxed at the moment. As the match goes on, that

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

The acoustics are absolutely perfect in here. U2's sound

engineer helped to make the acoustics what they are. It gives

you a chance to hear the footwork of these two guys. You can

certainly hear the footwork. And you can hear the strike on the ball

off del Potro's racket, because he really hits the ball flat. There is

a crack of the racket, rather than sometimes, when you hear the

strings biting. Ind will be interesting to see. Sometimes, you

are trying to hit deep and flat, and del Potro is able to soak that

up. You have to make him run a bit more. Who is doing the running will

That was an example. The ball was up and out, because of Djokovic,

with the top spin. Good angle. players are more comfortable moving

to the left, the right-handers, to There backhand. Not so comfortable

Eventually, you just have to come forward against Djokovic and take

the ball out of the air. You have to be patient, and pick the right

one. Fantastic return of serve from It is just a completely drama-free

return. It looks so simple. Not such great signs for del Potro's

So, Djokovic against Murray, came out a bit slow. But here, he has

That is a part of the del Potro game that has been beefed up over

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

Look at the speed and timing. At 6 1/2 ft tall, he should not be able

to move like that, but he does move with efficiency. It was a point

ending shot. His serve in that rally was 91. His forehand was 94.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

For me, this is what Djokovic does so well. He is playing those balls

down the line, which is meant to be the high risk option. But because

his footwork and technique are so good, he is still able to play with

When someone returns so well on the stretch, you have to make sure you

use the serve into the body, as del Two returns missed in a row. Three

break points gone. Del Potro holds. If you are stretch like that on

every serve this game, the pressure does tell eventually, but that was

a good start. How hard he had to work just to get his side of the

scoreboard working. First semi- final at the World Tour finals

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

later. Or Roger Federer versus Andy So, three holds of serve up. Just

under 15 minutes played. An interesting semi-final at what is a

wonderful event. It is an eight-man end-of-season finale, just the top

eight in the world. It has a rich and wonderful heritage. It's it's

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

just beneath the Grand Slams, but Tim Henman was a proud part of two

of those events, and could not take his place in one. It is an amazing

achievement. Why did you not play that one? Of I had to miss Shanghai

with a shoulder injury when I had been missing around with my serve.

I had to have a shoulder operation. But I did play in Houston and

The players attended a Gala last week at the Royal Courts of Justice

on behalf of Great Ormond Street Hospital. They all had their suits

made for them exactly the same. It would have taken a fair bit of

This is more of what you were talking about, Tim. Del Potro on

the move. Djokovic is just so solid from the back of the court. I

haven't seen him off balance yet. Do part draw has to try and get on

the front foot. He does not want to It is difficult, because you have

to get the balance right. You want to take the opportunities when you

can be aggressive, but against Djokovic, because he moves so well,

you can end up being over- aggressive and start making

What a return of serve. Unbelievable. I know he missed the

overhead. But del Potro had hardly finished his service motion. He was

just looking back to the ball. good signs for Djokovic at this

Interesting change there. Smart play. You can hear that footwork

again, burning the rubber on the court, sliding into the drop shot,

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

There is a ripple of applause in here. But he could almost get a

standing ovation for the brilliance of his groundstrokes. It is obvious

what his tactic is. He is really giving del Potro a's forehand a

And it is really giving del Potro a going over to his movement to the

forehand side. He has to make sure he goes with an offensive shot to

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

Early stages, I know, but you are beginning to wonder how del Potro

is going to get through Djokovic today. He needs a couple of things

to happen. He needs Djokovic's game to drop-off a little bit, maybe bad

And he needs to step up when he gets the opportunity on these

groundstrokes to try and dictate. The more he is on the defensive,

del Potro, doing the running fore and retrieving, the less

opportunity he has of coming through this match. Djokovic is the

only man to come through the semi- finals unbeaten in his group

matches. He played Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Both men are in top form.

What a year for tennis in London, with Wimbledon, the Olympics and

the same line-up in the semi-finals here as in the Olympic Games. This

was the bronze medal match from the Olympics, won by del Potro. What a

sports year for London, not just in tennis. It is extraordinary. Just a

mile or two from here, the Olympic Stadium. We have the sportsperson

and the coming up in December. Perhaps we could extend that to a

The perfect point from del Potro. He is really able to impose himself,

get on that front foot and Whoops. They have the records for

the fastest serve. These days, the way the guys play from the baseline,

they have the records for the fastest forehand and fastest

Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty in the background as well. They have

been an item for some time. They were married at the beginning of

That was good use of the drop shot. It is another fine line, because it

is a good way of getting the base liners out of their comfort zone.

But if you don't hit a good drop shot, they move so well that they

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

Certainly very comfortable in that game, trading from the back of the

court. Del Potro's average ground speed has picked up a bit. He has

really found Djokovic's rhythm. This is real head to head stuff

between these two. This is going to Djokovic is behind in the count on

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

We talked about it at the top of the show. A couple of years ago,

the serve looked a reliability. Now, Djokovic's motion looks so smooth,

very little to go wrong. Not forcing the ball, finding his

One of the most important aspects on the serve is the use of the legs.

That is where about 60% of your This is not necessarily about

trying to whack it harder, just get your legs into it a bit more, if

you are thinking of trying to Djokovic had not lost many points

on serve at all in this match. Suddenly, he finds himself under a

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

Oh! That is a bad miss. He is looking right over at his coach.

Could have let this one bounce. Good defence, del Potro just trying

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

The forehand was not really the one to be necessarily unloading. If it

is a rallying shot, you do not want to make the unforced error.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

Again, a little bit of a nothing shot. I think the forehand was

really there to be crunched and he did not go after the ball. They bit

indecisive. The safe for there is to go back cross court and

Their greatest -- a great escape. Break point saved. Safe to say that

del Potro he was chasing around after Djokovic early on in this set

certainly seems to have settled now. Very much so. He will be

disappointed there when he had the break point and hit a couple of

unforced errors, uncharacteristic unforced errors at the wrong time.

65 match wins this year for Juan Martin del Potro. That is the

highest from an Argentine player for many years. He is the top man

in his country now. Djokovic of course in Serbia it is unequalled

really. The Serbian women lost the women's competition. It is an

amazing story for their country, the story of tennis. When you go

back 10 years, you would not have considered players coming out of

Serbia. Now they have two male players in the Tour finals here

with Janko Tipsarevic. It is a great lesson and example four

players in -- and other federations. They play with great passion under

their flag. They won at the Davis Cup title in 2010 and it was the

platform for Djokovic to have a great 2011. This man took his

country to the Davis Cup final last Sometimes you come through a

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

service game like that and a break Another strong service game from

del Potro. It is impressive to be serving at 73% first serves when

most of the first serves are wrapped 135 miles an hour. I swear

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

that has gone up this year. 100 and This is great movement again. At 6

ft 6, you might think he would struggle to get around the court.

But he did well to run it down. And Break point against him in the last

game he served. Now two. Two in a row for del Potro. That forehand

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

passing shot at 15 all. So That forehand, once he gets the

forehand into play, it looks the dangerous shot. The big difference

from me on those couple of points was the commitment. He knew he if

he had the opportunity to unload on those forehands, he would go for it.

He crashed them deep into Djokovic's forehand corner. He

could not control it. Unforced error. He fully deserves this break

of serve. He was a finalist here in London in 2009. He won a physically

demanding semi-final. He was not able to win the final. He has beat

Federer and Nadal when they were both number one in the world. He is

certainly not afraid of beating the top men. I think he feels he may be

one of them. Perhaps the -- perhaps he is already. He is keen to add

Djokovic to the players he has beaten. Let us see if he can finish

this set off with a good service game. Djokovic is out, not

following the instructions to wait for the TV lights to come up. A lot

of broadcasters around the world are taking the pictures from London

and they all have set commercial break patterns, something we do not

have won the BBC of course. The lights will be coming up after a

set amount of time. All choreographed with the commercial

breaks. Djokovic ready to play. He must win, Djokovic, if he is going

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

to break. He needs to start quickly Take that! He has missed two of

these earlier on in the set. It was the foot work, inside the baseline,

not a bad slice from Djokovic. We learn this. Big serves, bigger

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

forehands. -- relentless. Beating He started the game with a big

forehand winner down the line. Finished it and the set with a

backhand down the line. It will be intriguing to see how the best

player in the world Novak Djokovic response. Del Potro, having

weathered the first 10 or 50 minutes of that set where Djokovic

looked masterful, having weathered that, he really took over. It will

be interesting to see whether Djokovic can respond and whether

del Potro can sustain. That is a fantastic set of tennis. Seven add

of 10 first serves. The most impressive is his second serve

points won. Del Potro is not getting cheap points on the second

serve. Those are baseline rallies and he is winning seven out of 10

against one of the best movers in the game. Novak Djokovic, when he

serves his second serve in, he is only winning a third of them.

Illustrating exactly the same point. Not something we are used to soon.

I was so impressed with del Potro's performance yesterday against

Federer and I think he is probably playing even better. He has got the

first set under his belt and he has now got to start all over again.

Djokovic has got to come up with some answers. I have never seen him

running out to the coin toss or leaping around so much. The big men

10 not to. It takes a lot of energy. He looked so enthusiastic. Why not?

Absolutely. This is the final tournament and he wants to give it

his best shot. Yesterday, playing one of the best indoor players of

all time, he had to beat Roger Federer to keep himself in this

tournament. I am sure winning this match, he felt on top of the world.

He is backing it up with a brilliant set of tennis so far.

man from the pamper region of Argentina, a humid area falling

rock is the name of the town, the literal translation. A large

boulder of was balanced, some say miraculously, in the foothills. It

fell in 1912. No doubt he will be looking forward to going home and

having a rest after this but what an intriguing 2013 already in

prospect, I think, with the arrival of del Potro. Certainly back up to

his highest point. Since winning the US Open in 2009. The world No.

Djokovic probably had four different shots he could have

played and he went down the line Djokovic was lucky to get away with

that and del Potro would have felt he could have done better to give

You have got to question this choice of shot from Djokovic. 15-15

in the first game, but he had time to get around and do an ordinary

This is not good. That was a big double fault and if he does not get

his brain in gear, he is in big trouble. He has won two of the last

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

He may as well have a look at it. No? That would have felt like it

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

was out. As well as looking like it I think del Potro has got to be a

bit more proactive. I am not sure he really had a plan for that point.

It was like, I am going to keep the ball in and see what happens. That

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

is not what has made him effective You are hearing a little bit of

Serbian crumbling it over the microphones that have been placed

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

It shows how good a shot and how accurate it has to be to get past

Three break points saved and they had to be. How many times have we

seen Djokovic with the hangdog expression and seemingly struggling

either physically the or mentally about being out on the court? Then

turns it around. His survival instinct is so sharp. The match

points he has had against Federer in the last two years and he has

come back. Del Potro's first serve direction... Tim, help me out. He

is going out wide to the backhand. The green dots are the ones he wins.

Serving out wide. When he makes the first serve, he is winning a whole

bunch of points. Looks like a bunch It did look like he was serving a

lot more accurately to the box and REFEREE: Left baseline. The ball

was called in. That challenge was almost out of frustration.

Djokovic's reaction and the way the ball bounced, it did seem like it

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

skidded a little bit. REFEREE: The He just walks around in this

languid way. He has been likened to a camel walking through the desert,

with affection. He has the look of a bass player in a rock band. But

then the point stance, and he leads around all over the place really

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

Djokovic has to decide here pretty quickly whether he has got an

appetite for this fight. Her he has an appetite for the fight, but he

is not used to losing so many of these baseline exchanges. Now I

would not say he is hitting the panic button, but he is not

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

necessarily choosing the right shot, Three break points in the first

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

He is like high grade hitting the And the breakthrough. It belongs to

del Potro. The crowd are beginning to love this fella. He looks like

he has been through the mangle! What a booming grunt. Almost broke

the Perspex in front of our commentary position. That was what

he needed. Such a well-constructed point from both players. And then

del Potro just found another gear to get Djokovic off the court. Del

Potro has had a couple of indoor successes towards the end of the

year, but he laid the foundation It will be interesting to see

whether he can maintain the same composure, the same game plan and

execute to the same levels to finish this match off. He is having

a lovely time, and people are having a lovely time watching it.

He seems to have a real zest back in his game. I can't remember

seeing this since the 2009 US Open. He grew people off the court then.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

And he is beginning to do the same When you look at it from Djokovic's

point of view, I think the predicament sometimes for the

modern player is that there is not really a plan B. His Djokovic going

to try and do something different now, Hall or will he just try and

And I guess the other option is to hope that your opponent can't

maintain these levels, and drops off a few unforced errors. Then

there would be a half a chance for Djokovic to maybe get some break

I don't think you would classified that was an unforced error, but it

is two mistakes in a row that del Potro has not made the whole match.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

Great chance for Djokovic to get Three swings of the racket, and

She did well to get out of the way. That was coming through at 133

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

UMPIRE: Ball is called out. Djokovic has had a little chat. He

said it was very close. He gave the play a chance to challenge. That is

good umpiring. And could use of the technology.

UMPIRE: Mr Djokovic has won challenge remaining. -- he has won

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

It is a 6 the break point in the match. And he has not taken one yet.

But is one hour and 17 minutes. Del Potro has just broken his serve

And that answers the question about the Djokovic appetite for this

match. Straight back in. He had a terrible run around the end of the

first set, beginning of the second. Ridley, he was just a few points

out of a sequence of 18 or 19, but now back in it. The winner of this

match will play the winner of Federer versus Murray, which is on

later. 5 Live Sports will have that It is the trademark Djokovic

backhand in the middle of that rally. The open stance, left-foot

leading, sliding double hander. He And another little slide. He must

have strong ankles underneath those I just wonder whether fatigue comes

into it from del Potro's point of view. It was a relatively long

three-set game against Federer. You start to get tired. You might start

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

Djokovic does this to everybody. He just chisels away. He is chopping a

big tree down today, and he has just inched his way back in. Tap,

tap, tap. He eventually wears you out. I wonder whether in the

context of this match, that service game was a turning point. For the

first time, del Potro's footwork is looking a bit laboured. A bit of

lunging instead of those little steps. He has put on a bit of white,

Novak. Not announce! Such a specimen. You don't often see him

changing his shirt. Thinking about how he wins these close matches, he

has got an unbelievable record in So, the winner of four of the last

Grand Slam championships, Novak Djokovic, playing for himself and

Serbia every time he steps on to the court. He really closely

identifies with his nation. This is the first of the two semi-finals.

Later, it is Federer versus Murray. Who do you think will win that one?

I think Murray is going to it. The way he has played in London this

year... Federer has played OK, but I don't think he has played his

best. It will be interesting to see the crowd support. Federer is so

popular, wherever he is. Murray are playing at home. It will be another

phenomenal atmosphere. It will be a third time in London for them this

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

year. Wimbledon final, Olympic 103 miles an hour. Some people

Del Potro just checking that that wasn't a double bounce. He said it

was almost rebalances! -- almost three bounces! It is hard to see

that the naked eye. Ivan Lendl He was once asked what his ambition

was going into another year as world No. 1, and he said to hit his

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

fellow members of the top ten. There is that double bounce again.

Looks like there is no way Djokovic will get it out this point. Yes,

That is where the new balls might have helped Djokovic. He was able

to stay down on that half volley at the net and get a good hit on it.

Djokovic is definitely tiring del Potro out. But does he run out of

time? Does del Potro explode a couple of winners and get to the

Do you feel that del Potro needs to win this in two? Go yes, I do. If

Djokovic can get this set under his belt, he will go from strength to

strength. I am not sure of the same Given the level of play that del

Potro achieved in the first set, I am just wondering whether he can

Djokovic came into this year off the back of a spectacular 2011,

where he won three of the four major championships. Going into the

French Open, having won in Australia, he had a chance to do

something where, which is to hold or four Grand Slam championships

consecutively. He came back against Jo Wilfred Tsonga two sets to one.

Everyone thought it was on, but he lost to Rafael Nadal. It has been a

year that has taxed him very strongly. And it has been one of

the great years of tennis. Absolutely. There were definitely

question marks after his 2011, when he had such an incredible one. How

was he going to be able to respond? Then he won another Slam, and he

has accumulated the most points. is hoping to accumulate the most

wins as well. 73 match wins, I saw earlier. He was trying to overhaul

David Ferrer, who fail to get through the group's, despite

winning two matches. One of the most important stories for next

year will be Rafa Nadal for me. It has been a huge disappointment that

the last six months of this year, he has not been able to play, with

tendonitis issues in his knees. Fingers crossed, he will be back in

Australia next year. Yes, getting good and accurate information out

of the camp is difficult. They are playing their cards close to their

chest. I hope he is OK. What have you heard? Not a great deal. I

think things are moving in the right direction, but perhaps not as

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

More unforced errors creeping into del Potro's game. I wonder whether

it is footwork letting him down. Not timing the ball as well as he

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

It was really del Potro that was so impressive in the first set. He was

when in the baseline rallies. Is What a point! Forte return of

serve! -- what a return. Great resistance from del Potro. He is

able to rush Djokovic very few can do that. Nothing wrong with the

bounce. It was the pace. It is almost as if he does not trust the

That was the biggest serve of the Hands on hips, del Potro at the

moment looks a beaten man. But I do not know if we can read too much

into that. Certainly, this set, it looks like he is down physically.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

Djokovic's reaction there, skidding off the court, del Potro not

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

putting in much spin. Taking Another unforced error gives

A miss hit long by 8 del Potro. Djokovic takes all of the momentum

-- by del Potro. Del Potro rather lopes his way to the chair. He

looks like hears exhausted. Has he got anything left after the match

with feathery yesterday? -- with Federer. Is Djokovic a heavy

favourite for round three? He needs to find a second wind. 6 or seven

unforced errors from del Potro. Second serve points won, halfway

down the right hand side, del Potro, it was something you pointed out

after the first set. It was 67%. He was winning more of the exchanges

when he got his second serve then. That has changed completely.

second serve in. Perhaps it is down to energy levels. His foot work is

not quite as precise. He is having to unload and go for the shots when

he is not quite there. Yes, he has this effect. It is something that

is very difficult to stop, they commute with the tide coming in.

Does del Potro have something else he can do? Or does he relied on

doing what he does five the better? Does he go for the drop shot again

occasionally? -- what he does better? Djokovic will be very

pleased with how he has turned the momentum down. He was down break of

serve. Did they great job of breaking back in the next service

game. -- did a great job. I would certainly say going into the third

set he is the favourite. Back in 2010, Djokovic won the Davis Cup.

2011, he finished the year number one for the first round. It was the

first time someone other than Nadal or Federer was number-one since

2003. Andy Murray will finish in his highest ever finishing position,

number three. Nadal only had six months' worth of play on the

computer. Del Potro will surely Crucial start. Absolutely. One hour

and 42 minutes played so far. Certainly fatigue territory.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

Massive place at stake in the final no Nadal here but David Ferrer of

representing Spain. Spain are travelling to the Czech Republic

for the Davis Cup and their doubles team will be in action later on.

Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez are playing Jonathan Marray and

Frederick Nielsen in the semi-final of the doubles later. Another

fantastic effort from Jonathan Marray and Frederick Nielsen. That

is a repeat, the doubles semi-final later, of a Wimbledon first round

match. Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez probably thought they had a

good draw against Jonathan Marray and Frederick Nielsen, the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

Nothing much wrong with those two service games at the start of the

third set. Who will be able to create the opportunities first? And

get the break of serve? Looked a bit shell-shocked, del Potro, at

REFEREE: Del Potro challenge in the call. The ball was called out.

think this is just for confirmation in his own mind. He struck the ball

well. It just caught it. A tiny bit late. REFEREE: Recalled stands.

Small margins but a half chance for Is this it? Again, small margins,

Djokovic struggled to take the opportunities in the first set. Now

he is ready to take this match by A great game. Magnificent. Djokovic

is in command of this semi-final. The last four times del Potro has

served, Djokovic has broken it. Seven of the last nine games for

Djokovic. Del Potro played such a clean match to get the set and the

break. I wondered if he had to get... I think we are doing

celebrity phone it swap down there. As we look at who is in the house,

we just wonder whether del Potro can get back in it. It will be a

great Burch later on between Andy Murray and Roger Federer. -- a

great match later on. They match up so beautifully. And of course

Jonathan Marray and Frederick Nielsen against the Spanish Davis

Cup team of Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez later as well. Tennis at

the O2 Arena and Ovett they million people have watched tennis in

November in London -- over a million people since it started

being played here in 2009. What does that say? Your guess is as

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

Talk about the important moments of matches, we knew the important part

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

When you see him physically taking someone over lad del Potro in this

match, it puts into perspective the physical contest he has with Andy

Murray. -- taking someone over like Clean as they were sore. -- clean

as a whistle. Djokovic will be aware that del Potro is a bit

slower around the court. He will want to exploit that lack of

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

Del Potro having a chat and then confirming it with Novak Djokovic.

Everyone thought it was sad and it Djokovic will not be happy with

that shot. A great opportunity to show that her more break points and

then match points -- to set up more break points. It did not look like

it was going to be in, even if it Going back to that shot, when you

have a two hander as good as Djokovic, why wouldn't you just

It remains to be seen how big a point that was. It would have been

15-40 and two break points. But Djokovic missed the drop shot. He

still has a break. It used to be the case that tennis players would

look at squash players and could not believe the cardiovascular

fitness. Footballers, they trained for 100, 120 minutes maximum, but

it is a certain type of training. Tennis players now are right up

there in the physical stakes. much so. You need all the aspects

of fitness. You have got to be quick, you have got to have balance

and endurance. I think this man in our picture is probably as good an

athlete as there has been in the game for a long time if not ever.

Evidence of his effort. His right elbow there. A bit of a scrape. I

cannot remember him falling over here. Obviously, it is not a

contact sport are like football or rugby. You see what is happening

with rugby players now. They are becoming enormous. Particularly the

rugby union now it has gone professional. Such a scientific

approach now. Novak Djokovic has all of his people here. Physio,

trainer, coach. Del Potro has a trainer and his coach here as well.

All are just for these moments as we approached two hours of

Has it perhaps been a disadvantage to del Potro and everyone in that

group that they had to play yesterday while Novak Djokovic's

I think in an ideal world, you would like to play in the first day

of this event. Then you get a day off before the semi-finals. But

obviously with David Ferrer in this I think that shot is an example of

where del Potro is just half a step slower. He is driving the two

hander back and sending it back with interest. Looking a bit heavy

Del Potro is going to be stretchered off this match! It was

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

There are five or ten minutes of A quick game is what del Potro is

after. Djokovic knows that, of Any amount of running that Djokovic

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

can make del Potro do in this game Mohammed lay Andy has a stopwatch

in the chair. And he runs it between points. Del Potro, after he

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

had run for this, sort of hung There is something quite cruel and

merciless about what Djokovic is doing out here. I almost feel like

he could have finished the point earlier, but he is just working his

opponent. He senses the fatigue of del Potro. He is really working him

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

The view from the chair is that it UMPIRE: Mr del Potro has one

That is the death-knell for this match. Djokovic, with the forehand

strike, has a 5-2 lead. About 55 minutes ago, Tim Henman tapped me

on the knee and said he thought it might be 6-3, 6-2 in sets two and

three, because he had sensed a change in momentum. And you might

be right. I think that second break of serve was the final nail in the

coffin. Djokovic has definitely got better and better as this match has

gone on. The energy levels have been seeping away from del Potro.

We are anticipating a Djokovic victory here. Who do you think he

would prefer to play in the final? Or do you think he would not have a

view? He is pretty impartial. I remember him talking about watching

the Murray versus Jo-Wilfried Tsonga match, and he was hoping

they both played well. It has been a fantastic rivalry building

between Djokovic and Murray. They have already played once this week,

and Djokovic won it 7-5. Federer has had a lot of success

against Djokovic. He beat him here a couple of years ago in a

dismissal in straight sets on this very court. So there is a lot to

look for two. We are not sure how long this match were last. Del

Potro has maybe a couple more big swings of that racket. He has

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 146 seconds

certainly played his part in this This has been the performance of a

world No. 1 for Novak Djokovic. Del Potro is pretty much a spent force

here. The crowd have enjoyed And that is it. Resilience from

Novak Djokovic, and real power. And And that a vendor is a difficult

defeat that he suffered at the hands of del Potro in this very

city in the summer. He lost a bronze medal match at the Olympic

And Juan Martin won the first set here, and then did not have a lot

left to give. Djokovic was a step too far. He has laid the foundation

for a really superb 20 13th. We look forward to seeing him back in

London. But as we say farewell to him, we look forward to seeing

Djokovic play the winner of Federer versus Murray later. And then there

were three, once again. In the absence of the top four, who so

many talk about at the top of the men's game, in the absence of

Rafael Nadal, it is the three big names remaining. Federer and Andy

Murray play for the right to play The final is on Monday night at 8

o'clock. Forever wins the second semi-final, it will be a cracker.

There is a great history among the three men still standing at the

World Tour finals. So, Djokovic was the winner. Let's hear from him.

Novak, congratulations, through to your second semi-final. How much

does it mean to you? Definitely, it is my first final here in the world

or finals here in London. I got to the semi-finals in 2010, so this is

a step further in my career. I am trying to enjoy this moment. It is

a big win. He was a better player on the court throughout the first

part of the match. I managed to turn it around and play better, so

I am thrilled to be in the final tomorrow. What were you thinking a

set and a break down? Well, just trying to be positive, stay

composed mentally. Go out there and fight every point. It is obviously

a fantastic way to end your season, playing for one of the game's

biggest prizes inside the O2 Arena with this crowd. They were

fantastic again today? We did not get to see everybody. Can we try

and put the lights up? At the lights were only on the court. Now

I see actually how many people are here. Thank you very much. It is

quite an amazing setting and an amazing tournament, with a great

crowd throughout the whole week. For every match, we have more or

less sold out. This is fantastic for our sport. Thank you for

appreciating tennis. I am not going to ask you who will

win, but are you going to watch the match tonight, or walk your dog?

am going to be both! Buy will definitely watch the match. Luckily,

I am in the final, so whoever I play, it is going to be a very

tough one. It is the last tournament of the year. We are

trying to find extra motivation. I am sure they will play a great

match tonight. Tomorrow, another amazing final. We can't wait to

watching it. Well done today. you.

SUE BARKER: es, the world No. 1, What a semi-final that was. What a

roller-coaster. The momentum changed, but it was all about

fatigued in the end. It was almost like a match of two hearts. For a

set and three games, del Potro played unbelievable tennis. He was

dominating the baseline points, which is so hard to do against

Djokovic, with his athletic ability. He was waiting for the right moment

and stepping in and crushing the winners. He was dominating on his

serve, and you thought he would be able to continue from where he left

off against Federer. But it was bad service game where Djokovic was

able to break back and change the momentum. And then he won 11 of the

last 14 games. So it is a great response, the kind of thing you

have come to expect from Djokovic. It is why he's world number-one.

And to say for tea is not being respect -- disrespectful to del

Potro, because he was covering miles. Do it is the difference

between del Potro and the guys he is trying to get amongst. This is

the difference between the top four and the guys who are 5, nine or ten.

It is sheer physicality. The Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Murray

Group are so phenomenal that you have to go deep within yourself to

be them. Week-in, week-out, they are fitter. He exactly. You see the

sort of levels that del Potro was reaching today. That he played

unbelievable tennis was not in question, but how long did he do it

for? This was admitted lead towards the end of a tough tournament and a

hard season. But it is about sustaining that. For a set and

three games, his level was as good as any. But then with the fatigue,

the footwork is not as good and you are able to open up a few more

holes in the baseline and then he is not in the right position to

unload on all those big shots. If he can get the extra stamina...

Imagine if it was a hot day in Melbourne for the Australian Open.

Del Potro probably is not their physically yet, but you can work on

your physicality. You can increase your capacity. Whereas you can't

buy talent, and del Potro has tons of that. Let's tell the story of

the match. It started off by being all del Potro. We said at the top

of the programme that he really had to go for his shots. This was one

of the great rallies. On TV, I don't think you can appreciate how

hard they are hitting the ball. Potro is really driving through and

moving Djokovic around. On his last two forehands, he said and it

brings out the grunt and gets an extra five miles an hour. Were this

the grunt point? It was tremendous stuff. The crowd were growing and

eyeing at this point. We all were. There were the grunts. That is how

hard you have to work to win a point. And it did take its toll,

because it was all Djokovic. After that second set, he was just toying

with him. I have been so impressed with how easily Djokovic can take

the ball up to the line and change direction. It is such an important

part of his game. His footwork is first class. And he had to dig deep,

because he was having a problem with his shoulder and things were

not working. He was crumbling, but as we saw with Federer, you just

find a way. There are memories of the two US Open semi-finals he has

won against Federer. This was what I was worried about at the US Open

against Murray. When Murray won the first two sets, and then Djokovic

came back, I was thinking, please, not this time. Would Murray have

recovered from that? To be two sets up and then lose in five? And it

was Andy Murray who was able to dig deep and win. Djokovic was never

out of it. She it is interesting how things have fallen into place

for Djokovic. We talked about the schedule. He has played Monday,

Wednesday, Friday. He is through to the final. He can watch and walk

his dog. We have a few minutes left, because the kick-off was delayed at

the rugby league, so we are going to look back to the present

occasion a few days ago to a former world No. 1 who is retired. He

retired after Valencia. This is Juan Carlos Ferrero, walking on to

the court. The ATP do a lovely thing, which is to give them a

trophy and a send-off. There were a number of ex-players and current

players are. Nicolas Almagro, David Ferrer and Novak Djokovic, who had

just finished his match. There were a few other people wanted to say

Congratulations on your retirement. And congratulations on an

incredible career. You have been an unbelievable player. You were

fantastic for the sport. You were always incredibly nice when I was

growing up and first came on to the tour. We always had a fun

relationship. I enjoyed watching you play. I hope you enjoy your

last match and the rest of your Juan Carlos, it has been a

privilege to be standing alongside year as a great champion, as a

former number one of the world, a Grand Slam winner. You are a great

person and tennis will definitely miss you. All the best.

Juan Carlos, Roger speaking. I know this is probably a very difficult

moment for you, but a nice one, and you should be proud and happy about

your incredible career and the Press and you are. Since I was 13,

you were one of the first guys I saw on the junior tour. You have

always stayed the same. You are a great player. We have shed some

great memories on the court together and had some amazing

matches. I look back on those with great feelings, so I miss you -- I

wish you the best for what is to come. Come and say hello. Stay

involved. I hope you will be a great man, the way you have been

for the last 30 years and also the next 30. See you around. Hugh Juan

Carlos Ferrero receives his trophy. He was French Open champion. He

lost the US Open to Andy Roddick, who also said farewell to the game

this year. The players obviously loved him. Decent guy? He was a

great guy. I had a few battles against him in my time. He was

world No. 1. He won the Davis Cup and the French Open. And very nice

for the ATP to do that. Thank you very much. Time for us to say

goodbye. Coming up on BBC Two, they delayed the kick-off. It is the

England versus France international rugby league, from the Salford a