The 51st edition of the ATP World Tour Finals begins at the O2 Arena in London. It is the 12th and last time that the end-of-season championships will take place in London. For the next five years, the Pala Alpitour stadium in Turin, Italy will play the prestigious tournament. Recently, the former number 1 in the world, Roger Federer, spoke about the electrifying atmosphere in the O2.
After winning the tournament six times as a record winner, Federer won two of those titles in London. The Swiss maestro won his first trophy in the O2 Arena in 2010 when he defeated arch-rival Rafael Nadal in an exciting final. Federer tackled the epic match and showed that he could dictate the game by setting the points with his serve.
“The first win I had in London was against Rafa in the 2010 final. He’s always been a tough player for me. But I think in this game I really felt like I knew how to construct the points, set up my points well with the serve and then dominate with the forehand. “ said Federer in an interview.
I was very happy: Roger Federer
In 2010, Nadal won three consecutive Grand Slam titles and was the second male player to score a Career Golden Slam. That same year, Nadal reached the final of the ATP Nitto Finals for the first time after winning a marathon semifinal against Andy Murray.
Although the Spaniard won the second set to stay in the game, Federer prevailed in the decisive set for his fifth title in the Nitto final.
“I serve, match point 5-1 40-15. I don’t know if the ball was in or out, but Rafa gave it to me, no dramas there. I was very glad. After a tough long season, I think it’s nice that we both made it to the final. “ said Federer about the victorious moment.
However, Federer won’t be competing in the season-end championships this year as he retired from the entire season to recover from a right knee injury. On the other hand, Nadal still wants to win his first title at the ATP World Tour Finals, a trophy missing from his exquisite cabinet.
