Tennis: Federer Can Rule at ATP World Tour Finals

It’s been the year of Novak Djokovic but Al Dannity says the late season surge of Roger Federer should see the old master claim top honors in London.

Murray can top group of death
Home favorite Andy Murray is one of the few men to own a victory over Novak Djokovic in 2011. The Scot made the semi-finals of all four grand slams but fell short in his only final appearance in Melbourne. He looks better placed for a surge to the semi finals here however with World #1 Novak Djokovic running on fumes in the tail end of the season.

Neither of the favorites will have it easy with the dangerous Tomas Berdych and the ever-consistent David Ferrer alongside them in Group A. To me this looks the tougher of the groups and I wouldn’t be surprised if every player suffers at least one loss. It’s happened before, notably in 2009 where Murray missed out on tie-breakers. I like Murray to come out on top in the group with Djokovic finding enough in the tank to join him in the semi-finals.

Federer hitting form
The champ. Is. Here. Roger Federer may no longer be invincible but he can still get the job done at the end of the season. With consecutive titles in Basel and Paris, Federer is once again the top dog in the dying months of the season. It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to Tennis betting fans. The Swiss master’s playing style was always suited to a longer career than most of his contemporaries and his shown an ability to conserve energy across the year. That leaves him in perfect position to exploit Group B this week.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Rafael Nadal, neither known for their durability in November will likely battle it out for the second semi-final spot. It’s difficult to see Mardy Fish, unquestionably the weakest player in London, making any inroads.

The verdict
The home crowd should be able to will Murray past Nadal or Tsonga in that semi-final, setting up a likely final with Federer. While Djokovic is the undisputed best in the game right now, he’s clearly gassed and will do well to hang with a fitter Federer. That would set up a re-match of the 2010 Australian Open Final and offer Murray a chance to claim his biggest victory to date. Unfortunately for Murray, I can’t see him overcoming the form man in Tennis right now. I like Federer to reign supreme in London.