The last round robin stage singles match for Group A will be played at the O2 Arena on Friday evening.
As Group B singles action wrapped up on Thursday, Roger Federer and Andy Murray made it into the last four. The other two positions will be filled today as Serb Novak “Nole” Djokovic and American Andy “A-Rod” Roddick play their last robin round match at
the ATP World Tour Finals.
Djokovic and Roddick follow Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych onto the courts. As Nadal triumphed over Berdych, the Spaniard moved into the last four with a perfect 3-0 mark. However the final spot is still up for grabs. Should Djokovic beat Roddick he takes
the last spot though should Roddick beat the Serb then all three (Berdych, Roddick and Djokovic) will enjoy a 1-2 mark in the event and then one of them will move ahead based on percentage of games won.
This is the Serb’s fourth straight qualification for the season finale. He made his debut in 2007 though he failed to win a single set that year. In 2008 Djokovic won four of his five matches bagging the title. He only lost to French Jo Wilfried Tsonga in
the first stage. He failed to make it to the semis in 2009, even though he held a 2-1 record in the round robin stage. Djokovic qualified for the 2010 World Tour Finals after making it to the semis at the 2010 Shanghai Masters.
The in-form Serb comes into the match with a win loss mark of 1-1 so far into the event. He defeated Berdych on Monday with a score of 6-3, 6-3. However, he lost his match to Nadal on Wednesday due to a problem with his contact lens. This unfortunate circumstantial
defeat dampened what would have otherwise been a perfect event record. Should Djokovic fail to make it to the semis today, he would end his season ranked 3rd in ATP rankings, with two titles and a final appearance at US Open.
Roddick on the other hand is making his eighth straight appearance at the event. He pulled out of the event in 2005 and 2008 due to an injury. To-date the American has made three semi-final appearances at this event in 2003-04 and then again in 2007.
Roddick was the last to qualify for the end of the year event this season since he currently ranks at eighth position in the ATP rankings. He qualified for the event alongside Berdych and David Ferrer after the number one contender Fernando Verdasco was
removed from the race during the BNP Paribas Masters.
He comes into the match with a 0-2 win loss record after losing his previous matches against Berdych and Nadal. Should A-Rod fail to make the semis tonight, he ends the season with two titles having won the final matches at Brisbane and Miami Masters. He
also made two final appearances this year, one at San Jose and then at the Indian Wells Masters. He has a win loss record of 48-17 this season.
Although Nole is in a better form this season, Roddick enjoys the psychological advantage since he leads their head to head score by 5-2. At their last meeting in the quarterfinal of the Cincinnati Masters, Roddick defeated Djokovic in straight sets.
The American also won all three matches between the two in 2009. The last time Djokovic defeated Roddick was back in 2008 at the quarterfinal of the US Open. Will Djokovic break Roddick’s winning streak and join Nadal in the semis or will the American inflict
the Serb with yet another defeat? Let’s wait and watch.
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