ATP Finals: Roger Federer beats Alex Zverev to reach SFs

07:43 · WED November 15, 2017

by Andy Schooler, at The O2

Roger Federer got an up-close-and-personal look at the future of tennis on Tuesday night, describing Alex Zverev as "the full package" after passing his apprentice’s thorough test at the ATP Finals in London.

Having won two Masters 1000 titles this season, Zverev has already ascended to world number three – some 18 months faster than Federer did at the start of his trophy-laden career.

He is expected to climb higher with many touting the 20-year-old German as a future world number one but on this occasion he had to settle for second best despite a fine effort, losing 7-6 5-7 6-1 to the six-time champion, who duly became the first man into the semi-finals.

"I like what I'm seeing with Sascha," Federer told reporters afterwards. "I see somebody who is working towards the future.

"What I like to see is I feel like they're working towards how he could be playing when he's 23, 24 years old in terms of fitness, planning, organisation, all these things. I think that's nice to see.

"What I like about Zverev is he's got the full package. He's already three in the world. I think he's going to leave the World Tour Finals, regardless if he qualifies for the semis or not, with a lot of information.

Roger Federer: Fended off Zverev's challenge

"I think the last six months of the season gave him everything he needs to work forward to. Then, of course, he's only going to get stronger from here. That should be very encouraging for him and his team."

The full house inside the O2 Arena sensed a possible changing-of-the-guard moment as the pair walked onto court.

They had met five times previously with Zverev winning on three occasions and he almost made a flying start to this encounter too, moving to 0-40 on the Federer serve in the opening game.

Federer held firm though and created his own break point in the next game. However, there would be no break in the set.

The Swiss became audibly frustrated as Zverev boomed down 130mph serves on a regular basis and forcing the man 16 years his senior onto the defensive.

Using blocking tactics to get the ball back deep, Federer finally got some success on return in the 12th game.

"I was hardly making any returns," he would later explain. "That's something I was not going to accept. I was going to rather lose by making a lot of balls and maybe give him a chance at least to miss rather than just giving him empty free games time and time again."

Such tactics helped him create two break points but Zverev, aided by a lucky net cord on the second, managed to secure a tie-break.

In it he raced 4-0 ahead but a string of forehand errors – five in total, including one on set point when 6-5 up - were to prove his undoing. Two points later, Federer had his lead.

Zverev was probably still wondering how he’d blown such an advantage when he lost serve at the start of the second set but any thoughts of Federer sweeping to victory were soon banished.

Successive double faults from Federer let Zverev into his service game at 2-1 and the German took full advantage as Federer lost his serve for the first time in the tournament.

Another breaker looked likely as the score moved to 5-6 before Federer through in a dreadful service game, two big errors handing Zverev three set points. Two were saved but not the third, a forehand into the tramlines from Federer seeing the match score levelled.

A tight match seemed set for an exciting climax but it was not to be.

Video: Federer v Zverev

After winning the first game of the decider, Zverev wilted.

Errors flowed from the youngster’s racquet in the third game as he lost serve and he repeated the trick in game five which he lost from 40-0 up.

A double fault ended the contest, the final scoreline suggesting things had been easier than they really were for Federer, who qualifies for the last four as group winner regardless of the outcome of his final group match against the now-eliminated Marin Cilic on Thursday.

Zverev, meanwhile, faces what is effectively a quarter-final against Jack Sock.

He said he would take plenty of positives from his defeat into that contest.

"The third set was a little bit upsetting by letting go a little bit too early," he said.

"(But) it was a pretty positive match. I think we both played pretty well. I feel very confident going into the Sock match."

Zverev admitted his opponents were beginning to fidn ways to thwart him and credited Federer for doing so by using his slice.

"I think people have realised that if you go fast to my backhand with a lot of spin, I quite like it. So maybe people are starting to change it up, go a little bit more with the slice.

"He's the best player of all time. He's always going to find a way to try to disturb your rhythm a little bit and try to win."