Roger Federer stamped his authority on the ATP World Tour Finals with a straightforward victory on the opening day of play at London’s O2 Arena.
It was not easy for Federer but he recovered from a poor start to defeat Tomas Berdych 6-4 6-2, with the Czech now having lost his opening match on each of the seven occasions he has qualified for the tournament.
– 360stats: Djokovic set to join greats in London
– NADAL: Spaniard can still rule at top of rankings
– MWTC: Cash sure Anderson and Raonic will light up UAE
Federer is playing at the Tour Finals for a record 14th consecutive year but appeared nervous at the start and consecutive double faults helped Berdych break for 2-0.
Federer hit straight back, though, and once he found his rhythm he quickly tok control.
Federer and Novak Djokovic will now meet on Tuesday in a match likely to decide who wins Group Stan Smith, and tournament organisers will hope that at least bucks the trend of one-sided singles clashes.
That has not been the case in doubles, and on Sunday lunchtime Jamie Murray and Australian John Peers marked their debut at the tournament with a narrow 7-6 (7/5) 3-6 11-9 victory over Australian Open champions Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli.
It is the start of two huge weeks for Murray, culminating in the Davis Cup final between Great Britain and Belgium in Ghent.
@rogerfederer: 13th-time ATP Fans’ Favourite. 11th Edberg sportsmanship award. Joins @LShirock at the Sky Pad. pic.twitter.com/B0DqbXj0XZ
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) November 15, 2015
He said: “It’s exciting for me. It’s lots to look forward to, obviously starting with today.
“I think we were both really looking forward to the match. It’s a huge event for us, which we’re really excited to be a part of. We worked hard all year to qualify for this tournament.
“We want to make the most of our time here. When that’s done, then I’ll think about Davis Cup.”
Despite their success, this will be Murray and Peers’ final tournament together, with both having lined up new partners for next season, a decision they insist was mutual.
It is a strange situation – although far from unique in doubles – and Murray said: “I didn’t really think about it that much. From my point of view, just try to do the best we can, finish on a high, try to make a great year even better.”
