Roger Federer from Switzerland returns the ball to Juan Martin del Potro from Argentina during their group B singles match in the round robin stage at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in the O2 Arena in London, yesterday. RIGHT: Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland hits a return to David Ferrer of Spain during their men’s singles tennis match on Friday night.
LONDON: Roger Federer staged a superb fightback to reach the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals with a 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-5 victory over Juan Martin del Potro yesterday.
Federer had only once failed to reach the last four in 11 previous appearances at the season-ending event and he recovered from a set and a break down, and then 3-0 down in the final set, to subdue the Argentine fourth seed and maintain his impressive record.
The six-time Tour Finals champion qualified in second place in Group B behind defending champion Novak Djokovic and will face world number one Rafael Nadal in today’s semi-finals at London’s O2 Arena.
“A lot of coming from behind, trying to get back into the match, and it was amazing that I was able to pull it off,” Federer said.
“I could never play free flowing tennis. I fought hard, maybe got a bit lucky at times.”
After a disappointing year saw his ranking tumble to seventh in the world, Federer remains in with a chance of finishing the season on a high with a fourth successive appearance in the final of the Tour Finals.
“I don’t get a day off, I’ve got to back it up and be ready to go again tomorrow,” Federer added ahead of the 32nd instalment of his epic rivalry with Nadal.
“I’ll try to make his life a bit difficult.”
Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam winner, had beaten del Potro in the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters last week, one of 14 victories in 19 previous meetings with the Argentine.
But del Potro got the better of the Swiss great in the Basel final last month and famously beat him in the 2009 US Open final.
Del Potro earned three break points in Federer’s opening service game and converted the third when the 32-year-old drove a forehand wide.
On Friday night, Rafael Nadal secured top spot in Group A at the ATP Tour World Finals with a victory over Tomas Berdych that also sent Stanislas Wawrinka into the semi-finals.
Nadal had already qualified for the last four of the season-ending event at London’s O2 Arena and his 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 win against Berdych ensured a first place finish with a 100 percent record from his three group matches.
Czech fifth seed Berdych could have gone through with a win, but instead he was eliminated and Swiss seventh seed Wawrinka progressed to the last four following his 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-1 victory over Spanish third seed David Ferrer earlier on Friday.
Wawrinka, playing in the Tour Finals for the first time, will take on Group B winner Novak Djokovic in the last four clashagencies
