• Serb expects Federer to be mentally strong after summer epic• Defeats by Thiem have left both players at risk of ATP Finals exitAt a time when so many younger players are breaking through,
Novak Djokovic and
Rafael Nadal are battling for the year-end No 1 ranking and the O2 Arena’s 10-year lease of the ATP Finals is coming to an end, so much of the build-up has been about the role their
Wimbledon final will play when Djokovic and
Roger Federer take to court in their group on Thursday.
It reflects the depth of feeling, satisfaction and hurt that their last classic battle delivered, when Djokovic recovered from 8-7, 40-15 down in the fifth set to defeat Federer. The dominant question is how on earth a player will not be scarred by such a loss when they finally meet again.