Roger Federer will aim to finish an off key year on a high note by winning a record sixth title at the ATP World Tour finals which start on Sunday at London’s O2 Arena, a venue more famous for staging the biggest acts in the music business. The world number four, who opens round robin action in the defence of his crown on day one against dangerous Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, is level in the season-ending tournament’s roll of honour with Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras.
Despite being the oldest player in the eight-man draw, and arriving with his lowest ranking since 2003, few would bet against the Swiss 16-times grand slam champion supplying a show-stopping end to a year dominated by Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. Now in its third year beside the River Thames, the appeal of the tournament has never been higher with more than 250,000 people set to watch eight days of action at the event often dubbed the “fifth” Grand Slam.
