Stefanos Tsitsipas finished last year as the Next Gen ATP Finals Champion and is now one match away from concluding this year as the last man standing at the Nitto ATP Finals. The Greek produced an outstanding display on Saturday to dispatch six-time champion Roger Federer 6-3, 6-4 at The O2 in London.

“I remember myself being one of these kids here, watching the event and… I could never picture myself standing here, but it did happen,” Tsitsipas said. “Dreams do come true.”

“I remember myself being one of these kids watching the event. Dreams do come true.”

Congratulations. @StefTsitsipas ?

?: @TennisTV | #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/H2tV8qU3u5

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 16, 2019

The 21-year-old Greek joined Grigor Dimitrov (2017 champion) and David Goffin (2017 finalist) as the only players to reach the title match in their debut appearance at the season-ending championships. He’s one of eight players to advance out of round-robin action in their first attempt.

First-Time Success At ATP Finals

“There is so much for me to learn from all these players. Roger, as well,” Tsitsipas said. “I grew up watching Roger as a kid, watching him here at the Nitto ATP Finals, watching him at Wimbledon, playing [tour-level] finals, and wished I could step out on the court one day and face him. Today, I’m here, living the dream.”

Tsitsipas autographed the camera post-match by writing “Stranger Things,” but his outstanding serving has made his inspired run anything but odd. He saved 11 of 12 break points against Federer and leads the field this week in service games won (44/47, 94%)

He’ll face Dominic Thiem or Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s championship match. Tsitsipas trails Thiem 2-4 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry, but leads Zverev 4-1 and defeated the German on Wednesday in Group Andre Agassi.

The Greek improved to 2-2 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Federer, with all four matches taking place this year. Tsitsipas prevailed at the Australian Open and London, while Federer triumphed in Dubai and Basel.

“I thought that he played really well. He took the ball early. I know he does that. I thought I returned pretty good on the first serve… But for the most part, I wasn’t quite getting into the rallies the way I wanted to,” Federer said. “I think I have to credit him for pushing me to not play at the level I was hoping to today.”

What a year it’s been ❤️

See you next year, @rogerfederer ?#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/7RtKQqPs5K

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 16, 2019

Their centre court clash offered little subtlety and was purely about first-strike tennis. Both men ran around their backhand and looked for opportunities to attack with their forehand. They also moved forward to finish off points whenever possible, although the Greek typically ended points immediately with his forehand approach.

It was clear from the outset that Federer had the sold-out crowd on his side. They erupted with cries of “Let’s go, Roger!” after he carved a slice backhand passing shot to earn a break point in the opening game, but Tsitsipas kept them from getting involved early by holding serve.

The second game of the match proved to be pivotal. Federer picked the correct moments to attack with his forehand and move forward, but was unable to finish off the points at net. He missed a pair of routine overheads to give Tsitsipas break point and the Greek pumped his fist when he converted with a down-the-line forehand winner.

“I think getting broken with missing two smashes in one game, that hasn’t [happened] in a long, long time or ever. So that was tough,” Federer said. “That’s not something you can train or practise for. [My] feet were not quite there yet, still not quite getting used to the high ones.”

A pair of baseline errors from Tsitsipas at 4-2 perked up the Centre Court crowd as Federer reached triple break point. But just as he did on numerous occasion during Friday’s defeat against Rafael Nadal, the Greek found powerful first serves when he needed them to bail himself out of trouble.

Federer shifted his tactics as Tsitsipas served for the set at 5-3, opting for backhand-to-backhand exchanges in which he added extra topspin to his shots. The strategy worked as Federer either won the exchanges outright or created an opening to finish off points with his forehand. He earned another break point at 30/40, but Tsitsipas waved it off with a swinging forehand volley winner.

A titanic eight-deuce game ensued with plenty of flashy shotmaking from both players. Federer erased three of the first four set points Tsitsipas earned with clean baseline winners, but hit unforced errors on both of his break point chances.

Tennis on ANOTHER LEVEL!

Sensational from @rogerfederer & @StefTsitsipas ?

?: @TennisTV | #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/8SU2dUuSAy

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 16, 2019

As the game entered its eighth deuce, Federer had won nine of the 12 points in which he got the return into play. Perhaps sensing the pattern, Tsitsipas didn’t let the Swiss get involved in the last two points of the set. The 21-year-old stepped up to the baseline and hammered two big first serves to grab the early lead. Tsitsipas saved all six break points in the opening set. 

“Sometimes in matches like this, you wonder how you overcome all these difficulties, all these break points down. It’s really a mental struggle, so I’m really proud that I managed to save so many break points today,” Tsitsipas said. “I was trying not to give an easy time to Roger. He was playing good and shout out to him as well. He did pretty well this week.”

In a nearly identical start to the opening set, a poor game from Federer at 1-1 in the second set saw him hit four errors early in the rallies and hand an early break to Tsitsipas. The Swiss once again reached 0/40 on Tsitsipas’ serve in the next game and couldn’t get over the line, but he refused to be discouraged.

The six-time champion earned his 10th break point of the match with a drop shot winner and roared in approval after a forehand error from Tsitsipas clinched his first break of the day. The capacity crowd matched the volume as they chanted his name in unison.

Another lengthy battle ensued at 2-2 as both players had opportunities to take the lead. But while Tsitsipas had largely struggled in longer rallies during the match, he stepped up as the game reached its third deuce. The Greek played defense before launching a backhand just inside the baseline to earn break point, then rifled a forehand winner to secure his third break of the day.

One final twist was on offer as Tsitsipas served for the match at 5-4. Federer earned another pair of break points and the crowd tried to will him on, but Tsitsipas was not to be denied. He erased both with aggressive play and closed out the match with his sixth ace, looking to his team in disbelief after wrapping up play in one hour and 36 minutes.

SIMPLY SUPERB FROM STEF!

The youngest player in the field has made the FINAL! ?

?: @TennisTV | #NittoATPFinals | @StefTsitsipas pic.twitter.com/4PDVn8OGdV

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 16, 2019

Did You Know?
In Federer’s two defeats against Tsitsipas, the Swiss went just 1-for-24 on his break point opportunities.

Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus saved two match points on Saturday afternoon for a place in the doubles title match at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The fifth-seeded South African-Kiwi team scraped through against top-seeded Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, the 2019 year-end No. 1 duo, 6-7(5), 7-6(10), 10-6 in two hours and nine minutes at The O2 in London. They recovered from 0/4 in the second-set tie-break and saved match points at 6/7 and 8/9.

Klaasen and Venus, who went 2-1 to win Group Jonas Bjorkman round-robin play, will now prepare to meet last year’s runners up Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, the seventh-seeded French team, or second-seeded Pole Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo of Brazil.

Competing together at the Nitto ATP Finals for the second straight year, Klaasen and Venus have a 35-17 match record in 2019, including two ATP Tour titles at the Noventi Open in Halle (d. Kubot/Melo) and the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. (d. Rojer/Tecau).

In a tight 54-minute first set, a low backhand return from Farah at 5-5 got Klaasen in trouble and the South African hit a backhand volley into the net for the first break. But clever play from Klaasen in the next game, saw Cabal get broken to 30 for a tie-break.

Klaasen and Venus moved to a 5/4 advantage, however, on the next point, Venus went for broke and missed a forehand on Farah’s serve. It was the impetus the Colombians needed and on their first set point at 6/5, Farah ripped a backhand return down the line, only for Klaasen to be stunned by the pace.

In the second set, Klaasen saved a deciding point deuce at 1-2 with a body serve to Cabal. In the second tie-break of the match, Cabal and Farah surged to a 4/0 lead only to see Klaasen and Venus win six of the next eight points. Two match points came and went at 6/7 (Venus forehand volley winner) and at 8/9 (Cabal forehand return down the line into the net), before Farah hit a double fault at 10/10 for Klaasen and Venus’ fourth set point of the tie-break. Klaasen served down the middle and Farah mis-timed a forehand wide.

After a brief of-court break, Klaasen and Venus return to The O2 arena and won the first five points of the Match Tie-break and completed their 35th match win of the year with a smash winner from Venus.

Cabal and Farah, who had beaten Klaasen and Venus in their past three FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, finish their career-best season with a 50-19 match record, which includes the Wimbledon and US Open crowns among five titles. They had been aiming to become the first South American team to reach the final in Nitto ATP Finals history. Melo was runner-up in 2017 (w/Kubot) and 2014 (w/Dodig).

South African Lloyd Harris enjoyed the best season of his young career in 2019, breaking into the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time and reaching a career-best No. 82 in July.

The 22-year-old is in London during the Nitto ATP Finals attending ATP University, gaining valuable insight into the life that lay ahead of him on the ATP Tour.

“We’re learning more about the game, what happens behind the scenes, the media involved with that,” Harris said. “They’re teaching us about what to expect with life on Tour and life off the Tour. We’ve had some really interesting conversations and lectures so far.”

The group received a visit from former World No. 1 Carlos Moya, who is currently part of Rafael Nadal’s coaching team.

“We had Carlos Moya come to speak with us. [It was good to] just to get some insight into what the World No. 1 is doing post-match, before the match, after getting to the final of a Grand Slam,” Harris said. “You begin to think that these are things we should be picking up and putting into our routines as well. It’s small things from different categories that you can pick up and use.”

Harris will try to put those lessons to good use in the inaugural ATP Cup in January, in which he will represent South Africa as the second-ranked player from his country. Harris spoke to ATPTour.com about the new event, what’s most exciting about playing for a team, playing alongside Kevin Anderson and his childhood growing up in South Africa.

How excited are you to play at the ATP Cup?
From all the hype that is going on, it looks like it is going to be a fantastic event. I am sure anything of this calibre has to be great. It is a team event, that aspect is always fun.

I think the crowd is going to love it. It is going to be super-entertaining and I am looking forward to playing alongside some unbelievable players and against some good players. I think it is a great way to start the year.

What is exciting about playing as part of a team?
I think it is like a different energy. The whole year, you are competing for yourself and you have your team. But when you have your guys backing you up, sitting next to the court and cheering you on, you are not just playing for yourself.

If you win or lose a match, you are playing for them too. They also want to win and you want to go through to the next round. I think the atmosphere and vibe around that is just more fun and enjoyable for the players.

How cool is it that you will get to play alongside Kevin Anderson, who is one of the best players in the world?
He is an unbelievable player. Injury means nothing. He just hasn’t been able to play this year. It has been a really tough year for him. But I have spoken to him and he is positive. He is not down about it at all.

I think he is going to come back very strong next season. He is going to get his body fully ready and have a long time to prepare. He wants to come back in 2020 and be ready to crush it, so it is going to be unbelievable playing alongside him.

I know you have spent time with him before, but will it be nice to work with him to start the year?
I think it will be different. Practising with a person is one thing, but when you are sitting next to the court and maybe talking and analysing your matches a little bit more, then I can learn a lot from him. He has been in situations I haven’t been in. He has won titles. He has won so many matches in Grand Slams, reaching two finals. There is definitely a lot of knowledge I can pick up from him.

Growing up in South Africa, you were a bit too young to watch Wayne Ferreira and his generation, but was there a South African you would watch on TV?
No, not at all, to be honest. At the time I was growing up, from a reasonable age when I was watching tennis, there was no one playing. Kevin was the first one to come along again and it has been unbelievable to see his rise up the ranks.

It is a pity that I wasn’t able to see all the past guys, because we used to have so many good players, Top 100 players, just a couple of years before. Unfortunately, when I was growing up, they were already done.

What was it like growing up in South Africa? I read that you had a court right by where you lived growing up, what was that like for you?
I grew up in a tennis home. My mum played tennis, my dad played tennis and my sister started playing tennis. I am four years younger than her, so little me was sitting next to the court watching all of them play tennis. So what do I want to do? I want to play tennis, too. So I picked up the racquet really, really young and all I wanted to do was just play with them as well.

My mum asked the coaches, ‘Is he not too young? Can he start?’ I was not even three years old. There I was hitting balls already. The thing is, I enjoyed every second of it. I never had played too much.

I played all the other sports. South Africa is such a big sporting country, so you play rugby, you play cricket, you do athletics, you do swimming. I did all of that until I was 15 or 16. So that kept me excited for tennis and I kept on enjoying it. That was great. Back in South Africa, I was lucky enough to be in great schools and have all the facilities and stuff that I needed.

What is special about getting to represent your country?
You are representing your country all the time. You are playing with the flag beside your name. But in an event [like this]… it is just a different motivation. That makes you feel like you literally have the whole country behind you. Everybody is watching, whereas when you are playing individually, it is not the same.

I feel like [in a team environment] you have all the eyes on you and you want to make everyone happy. [You want to] entertain them, you want to get the win for South Africa and that makes it all the more special when you do get those wins.

What do you love about South Africa, as a country?
First of all, it has to be the beauty of the country. The beauty of the people. So many different cultures, so many amazing people. It is so different, all throughout the country, depending on where you are.

Even where I live, in Cape Town, there are so many different people and the pure beauty about it is special. The way it makes me feel is like, I am at home there. It is something I haven’t been able to feel somewhere else and I think it will have to stay my home for the rest of my life, probably. It is just a homely feel for me and everything about it is special.

Is there something that reminds you of home on the road?
There are certain foods and there are certain things that I will do back home that maybe remind me. The best times I have are mostly in England and America, you get a bunch of South Africans and they invite you to their house and we have a braai, which is a South African barbecue. Or you walk into a South African restaurant or a South African shop and they have all these things, which is crazy cool.

Another thing that reminds me of home is anything to do with rugby or cricket, wherever I might be. If I see something rugby or cricket related, I am thinking [about] those times I went to the stadiums and supported our teams.

One year ago, Alexander Zverev shocked the tennis world when he defeated Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in back-to-back matches to win the biggest title of his career at the Nitto ATP Finals. After battling through a pressure-packed match against Daniil Medvedev to earn a spot in the semi-finals on Friday, Zverev is just two wins away from retaining his crown.

But the 11-time ATP Tour champion has a significant hurdle directly in front of him in Austrian Dominic Thiem, who is into the semi-finals at the season finale for the first time. Thiem leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-2, and he is playing some of his best tennis, defeating both Federer and Djokovic in Group Bjorn Borg play.

“He’s been playing some unbelievable tennis, maybe the best tennis that we have ever seen from him. Actually beating Roger and Novak on this court is very special. Doing it back to back is very, very difficult,” Zverev said. “It’s going to be a very difficult match. I’m looking forward to it. Honestly, I’m just happy to be in the semis, and from here on we’ll just see how it goes.”

Advancing to the semi-finals at The O2 is a major accomplishment in itself, with the eight best players in the world competing for only four spots. But that is only part of the battle, with players then needing two additional victories to lift the trophy.

“I think that maybe this tournament is the most difficult to win, because you have to beat five Top 10 guys in a row. Okay, you can afford to lose one match maybe, but still, that’s why I’m 100 per cent sure that if you win this title you can win, as well, any other title,” Thiem said. “I haven’t done it yet, but I think that if you win this title, it gives you a lot of confidence for especially of course Australia, because it’s the closest, but for the full next year.”

Thiem and Zverev have not played since 2018 Roland Garros, where the Austrian dropped just seven games in the quarter-finals en route to reaching his first Grand Slam final. He also won the pair’s only previous match on an indoor hard court, at 2017 Rotterdam. That victory came in three sets.

Zverev has the edge in experience at The O2, though. Although this is Thiem’s fourth appearance to Zverev’s third, the German triumphed last year, while the Austrian had won three matches in his three previous showings combined.

“This arena, this place is special to me,” Zverev said. “I feel different here, and this kind of feeling I want to take to next year, as well, to the next tournament. Doesn’t matter if I win or lose. Obviously I want to win and I’ll do everything I can.”

Both players have shown good form this week, and Zverev admits that not just in his match, but in the tournament on a whole, there is plenty still up in the air. Every player will need to bring their best in their respective clashes from start to finish.

“It’s going to be interesting to see who will be the winner. Maybe we’ll have the oldest winner of all time. Maybe it’s going to be one of the new guys, young guys. Maybe we’ll have a first-time winner,” Zverev said. “I hope it will be a back-to-back for me, but I have a very difficult semi-final tomorrow.”

If only Alexander Zverev could play all of his matches at The O2 in London. The 22-year-old German admits to not having the type of regular season he wanted in 2019. Zverev is the only Nitto ATP Finals qualifier who didn’t win more than one ATP Tour title.

Yet in the final weekend of the season, the seventh seed is again among the last four at the season finale. The defending champion secured his place in the semi-finals for the second consecutive year on Friday evening with a 6-4, 7-6(4) win against Daniil Medvedev.

“This arena, this place is special to me. I feel different here, and this kind of feeling I want to take to next year, as well, to the next tournament,” Zverev said.

“[It] doesn’t matter if I win or lose [this weekend]. Obviously I want to win and I’ll do everything I can, but [having this kind of experience] last year and this year and getting it to the other big events, as well, is something that I’ll hope to do for the future.”

Zverev improved to 5-1 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Medvedev. On Saturday evening, the German will meet Austrian Dominic Thiem, who beat Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to win Group Bjorn Borg.

It will be their first matchup of the season, but Thiem leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-2. They split their two hard-court meetings.

“He’s been playing some unbelievable tennis, maybe the best tennis that we have ever seen from him. Actually beating Roger and Novak on this court is very special. Doing it back-to-back is very, very difficult,” said Zverev, who accomplished the feat last year in the semi-finals and final in London.

“It’s going to be a very difficult match. I’m looking forward to it. Honestly, I’m just happy to be in the semi-finals, and from here on we’ll just see how it goes.”

Zverev, along with 21-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, is one of two former #NextGenATP players to make the semi-finals. And although no player under 30 has won a Grand Slam title, Roger Federer, 38, is the only player older than 30 to make the semi-finals at the season’s final tournament.

“The young guys have been playing much better tennis than they were maybe last year. I think the biggest surprise is actually that Novak is out of the tournament, because I think for him, this court, the conditions is the best fit for his game,” Zverev said.

“The other thing is the biggest surprise, obviously Rafa. Nobody expected him to be out from our group. Our group was very, very difficult, and for me and Stefanos to qualify, I don’t think a lot of people would have picked [us], especially probably me with the year I had. But we played good tennis over the last five days, so that helped us.

“The tournament is still not over. It’s going to be interesting to see who will be the winner. Maybe we’ll have the oldest winner of all-time. Maybe it’s going to be one of the new guys, young guys. Maybe we’ll have a first-time winner. We’ll see how it goes.

“I hope it will be a back-to-back for me.”