In the landscape of Japanese tennis, it is clear which tournament is the crown jewel, setting the standard in the Asian nation. The country’s lone ATP World Tour event – the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships – has shined brightly in Tokyo for 45 years.

But on the ATP Challenger Tour, three tournaments have maintained their own standard of excellence over the past decade. In February, the $50,000 event in Kyoto has thrived for more than 20 years, while the $75,000 tournament in Yokohama celebrated its 13th edition.

The newest tournament of the group is the Hyogo Noah Challenger in the city of Kobe. Founded in 2015, the indoor-hard court event has featured John Millman and Hyeon Chung among its champions. 

Kobe is the sixth-largest city in Japan and a bustling financial centre. The fourth-busiest port in the country, many companies are headquartered there, including more than 100 international corporations. It is also the point of origin of Kobe beef, a delicacy around the world.

But venture a bit outside the city and you will find an integral part of Kobe’s sporting culture. Drive 40 minutes west and you will arrive at the Miki Disaster Prevention Park, home to this week’s ATP Challenger Tour event. 

On 17 January 1995, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake rocked Japan. Its epicentre was located just 20 km from the Kobe city centre. More than 6,000 people lost their lives on that day and, with the city residing on an active fault line, officials announced the necessity for a disaster prevention mechanism. At the time of the Great Hanshin earthquake, the city was ill-prepared to assist the thousands of people impacted. 

The Miki Disaster Prevention Park was constructed shortly thereafter, serving as a relief centre for rescued people from nearby disaster areas. One of the most sophisticated earthquake research facilities also sits next door and includes the world’s largest indoor earthquake simulator. Also a multipurpose sports facility, it features two football stadiums and a running track, in addition to the tennis arena.

Made to give shelter to those in need, the arena was built with massive concrete walls and foundations burrowing deep into the earth below. Walk through its doors and you’ll think you’ve stumbled into an airport terminal or a spaceship from the future. The ‘Beans Dome’ was constructed by renowned architect Shuhei Endo and is encased in a stainless steel shell mostly covered with grass. 

“Square buildings are too strong,” Endo explained. “Rounded, curved forms are more continuous and blend in better with nature.”

In the event of an earthquake or typhoon, supply trucks can drive directly into the 174,000-square-foot building, thanks to movable glass panels at four locations around the perimeter. The stadium holds nine tennis courts, with four on either side of a sunken centre court. Surrounding the courts are 10-inch-thick layers of reinforced concrete that rise from the floor and serve as the back wall and ceiling. 

It is a sight to behold on the ATP Challenger Tour and one of the lesser-known gems on the circuit. No tickets are sold throughout the tournament, as organizers only request donations for the disaster fund as patrons walk through the door. On Saturday, the locals were well aware of the star power on display, with four Japanese semi-finalists competing for spots in the championship. A combined 4,000 people packed the tennis centre for both matches.

And on Sunday, a home hopeful lifted the trophy for the first time, as Tatsuma Ito defeated Yosuke Watanuki in the final. It was the 30-year-old’s sixth title and first since 2012, snapping a streak of 10 straight finals lost. Ito has now won titles in three different Japanese cities, also including Kyoto and Toyota. 

When Roger Federer exited The O2 in 2011, he took with him a record sixth trophy at the Nitto ATP Finals. It was an unprecedented achievement that was as astonishing as it was improbable. Qualifying for the season finale on six occasions is an impressive feat, but to win the title that many times is simply astounding.

Few believed that anyone would challenge Federer’s mark in the near future. But only seven years later, Novak Djokovic has arrived on the doorstep of joining the exclusive club. The World No. 1 is one win from hoisting a record-tying sixth piece of silverware on the ATP World Tour’s grandest stage.

Standing in Djokovic’s way of the historic achievement is Alexander Zverev, whom he defeated 6-4, 6-1 in Wednesday’s group stage. The Serbian was on the attack from the first ball, winning a staggering 73 per cent of first serve points and denying both break opportunities earned by the German, en route to a comprehensive 77-minute win.

That match is not an anomaly. Djokovic has served notice to the rest of the Top 10 that he once again stands alone atop the tennis universe. The Nitto ATP Finals is the best of the best and the Serbian is proving that he is just that much better.

View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following match-up at the Nitto ATP Finals and vote for the player you think will win!
Djokovic vs Zverev

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“Novak right now is the best player in the world,” said Zverev. “It’s very tough to beat him. He’s barely lost a match in the last six months. He’s playing amazing tennis. You have to play your best game to even have a chance. I hope I’ll be able to do that tomorrow.”

Not only does Djokovic enter the final having not dropped serve all week, but he is bidding to become the first player to lift the Nitto ATP Finals trophy without being broken since Infosys ATP Scores & Stats began in 1991. Just six weeks ago, he achieved the feat for the first time in his career, when he streaked to the title at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. 

Djokovic has continued to dominate his Top 10 brethren at The O2. He entered the week riding a 10-match win streak against Top 10 opponents and that number has swelled to a whopping 14 in a row.

Nitto ATP Finals Title Leaders

In addition, Djokovic is vying to become the first player to win the title at the season finale without dropping a set since Ivan Lendl in 1986. And he is bidding to become the oldest winner in tournament history, at 31 years, five months.

While there is plenty at stake for the surging World No. 1 in Sunday’s championship clash, Zverev is hoping to crash the party with a breakthrough performance. The German is making the most of his second appearance at The O2. Despite falling in round-robin action to Djokovic, he is playing some of the best tennis of his career to reach the final.

“I’m expecting quite a different matchup for us tomorrow than what it was in the group stage,” Djokovic said of Zverev. “That win can definitely serve as maybe a mental advantage a little bit coming into tomorrow’s match. But Sascha, even though he’s a leader of new generation, still considered a young player, he’s an established player. He’s shown some great skill on the court the last couple years. He’s shown why he deserves to be in the mix of the top players in the world.”

On Saturday, Zverev exhibited the poise and maturity of a champion in dismissing Federer in a tight straight-set semi-final affair. He is standing tall on the baseline and blasting through the court with fearless aggression, but arguably the most impressive piece of the German’s game has been his delivery. Zverev won more than 75 per cent of first serve points in defeating Marin Cilic, John Isner and Federer. 

Youngest Nitto ATP Finals Finalists (since 2000)

Behind that serve, he has surged into the biggest final of his young career. But Zverev will need it to show up on Sunday against his opponent’s ruthless returning. Denting the elastic wall that is Djokovic is no easy task, but if the German is to be effective, another strong serving performance is critical.

When Zverev steps onto the court at The O2, he’ll be eyeing a slice of history of his own, as the youngest champion at the Nitto ATP Finals since Djokovic himself in 2008 (in Shanghai). At 21 years and six months, he is just one month older than the Serbian was when he reigned for the first time a decade ago.

Zverev, who is the first German finalist since Boris Becker in 1996, is appearing in his sixth title match of the year. Champion at the ATP World Tour 250 event in Munich, 500 event in Washington and Masters 1000 stop in Madrid, he also finished runner-up in Miami and Rome.

With so much on the line, fireworks are sure to fly under the bright lights of The O2. It will be the fourth FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter between Djokovic and Zverev, with both of the Serbian’s victories coming in the past two months. In addition to his group stage win earlier this week, he dropped just three games in prevailing at the Rolex Shanghai Masters in October. Meanwhile, Zverev’s lone victory came last year in the final of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. He will look to draw upon that experience when he squares off against the hottest player on the planet on Sunday.

American Duo To Face French Foes In Doubles Final
In the doubles final, fifth-seeded Americans Mike Bryan and Jack Sock will look to cap their week in London with a slice of revenge against Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut. Bryan and Sock, who are making their team debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, finished second to Herbert and Mahut in Group Knowles/Nestor following a 6-2, 6-2 round robin defeat on Friday.

Payback will be on the Americans’ minds as they look to complete a stunning 2018 campaign as a tandem. Champions at Wimbledon and the US Open, they are bidding for a 20th match win of the year in Sunday’s championship. Individually, Bryan is eyeing a fifth title at the season finale, having prevailed alongside brother Bob Bryan in 2003, 2004, 2009 and 2014.

It marks the third meeting in three weeks between the teams, having also clashed in the quarter-finals of the Rolex Paris Masters. The Americans won that battle in a Match Tie-break.

For Herbert and Mahut, their run to the final has already exceeded their best result at the Nitto ATP Finals. Following three consecutive group stage exits from 2015-17, they are enjoying a breakthrough campaign at The O2 as the eighth seeds. Also the champions at Roland Garros and in Rotterdam, they are bidding for a third title of the year.

There was a lot on the line for Roger Federer at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals. The Swiss had a chance to not only extend his record to seven titles at the season finale, but lift his 100th tour-level trophy, becoming just the second player to do so (Jimmy Connors, 109).

But Federer fell short in the semi-finals at The O2 on Saturday, losing against an impressive Alexander Zverev. Perhaps the fact that at 37, Federer had a chance to reach his 11th championship match at the Nitto ATP Finals speaks even louder than the disappointment of losing.

View: The Story Of Roger’s Season

“I must tell you I’m very proud that at 37 I’m still so competitive and so happy playing tennis. From that standpoint, as disappointed as I might be about this match, if I take a step back, I’m actually very happy about the season,” Federer said. “It’s been a historic season in some ways. Got back to World No. 1. For me, that was a huge moment in my life, to be honest, in my career because I never thought I would get there again.”

In January 2017, Federer fell to No. 17 in the ATP Rankings after missing six months due to a knee injury. The Swiss hadn’t been placed that low in more than 15 years. But Federer battled back, and this February, after winning the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament for the third time, he returned to the top of tennis’ proverbial mountain, becoming the oldest player to attain top spot and set the record for the longest period between stints as World No. 1

Throw in a 20th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and two more tour-level triumphs in addition to Rotterdam — in Stuttgart and Basel — and Federer still had a strong season, despite falling short in London.

“[Pete] Sampras once upon a time said, ‘If you win a Slam, it’s a good season’. So [my season] started great. I played super well in Australia again. So obviously I can’t wait to go back there in a couple of months,” said Federer, who finishes his year with a 48-10 record. “The second half of the season could have been better, maybe. I also have high hopes to always do well. So I’m happy I gave myself opportunities again in that second half of the season. I maybe lost a couple of too-close matches that could have changed things around for me a little bit.”

There was plenty of build-up surrounding the possibility of Federer claiming a historic 100th title at the prestigious season finale after claiming victory No. 99 at home in Basel. But Federer was quick to throw a light-hearted response back to a reporter who said after the Swiss’ loss to Zverev that, “you need 100 titles”.

“I don’t need it, but go ahead,” Federer said with a smile. “I will breathe air also if I don’t.”

Federer will still finish the year at No. 3 in the ATP Rankings, the 14th time he has ended a season inside the Top 3. Federer even made personal history in 2018 with a career-best 17-0 start before losing in the BNP Paribas Open final.

“Five years ago, where was I? I was probably fighting with back pain in ’13, not sure if I was ever going to figure that back pain out again because I had it for almost probably four or five months of the season. It really rocked my tennis for a bit,” Federer admitted. “Here I am having actually a pretty good season physically, as well, won another Slam, got back to World No. 1. So, yes, you can see it as a very, very positive season. That’s probably how I will look back on it, as well.”

If nothing else, Saturday’s defeat will serve as more motivation for Federer. He saw that he was once again in contention for one of the sport’s crowning jewels, the Nitto ATP Finals title. And now, Federer can begin the process of chasing after it once again.

“I’m here now. So I’m a little bit disappointed there because I believe I was close. Being close makes me believe I can keep going, I can win again. That’s uplifting in some ways,” Federer said. “But because I know I could have won, I’m also disappointed because I aim high. From that standpoint, I’m a little bit disappointed now, which is normal. Overall I’m happy how the season went. There are many positives, to be quite honest. So I’m excited for next season.”

Did You Know?
Federer has now won four titles or more 14 times in his career. And at the Nitto ATP Finals, he has advanced to the semi-finals or better in 15 of his 16 appearances.