Six-times champion Roger Federer survived a late-night Swiss semi-final thriller against Stanislas Wawrinka on Saturday to set up an ATP World Tour Finals showdown against Novak Djokovic.
World number one Djokovic battled past Japan’s Kei Nishikori after a mid-match meltdown before Federer saved four match points in a near three-hour duel with compatriot Wawrinka.
Federer eventually prevailed 4-6 7-5 7-6(6) against his Davis Cup teammate Wawrinka.
Djokovic, bidding for a third consecutive season-ending title having already secured the number one ranking, beat Asian trailblazer Nishikori 6-1 3-6 6-0 at the O2 Arena.
"I think I got lucky tonight. Stan played better from the baseline and that usually does the job on this court," a relieved Federer said. "But I kept fighting. It’s tough but I’m thrilled to be in another final in London."
He will now do battle with Djokovic for a 37th time, though he has precious little recovery time.
That said, Djokovic was complaining of "mental exhaustion" after ending Nishikori’s impressive debut at the Tour Finals.
The Serb was rattled by a mid-match onslaught from the Japanese, who came back from a poor start to dominate the second set, only for his challenge to fizzle out in the decider.
“I mean, look, at the end of the day I cannot blame the crowd,” Djokovic told reporters.
“The crowd has a right to do what they want, to cheer for whoever they want. Some individuals were going over the line but I lost concentration.
“I lost the break because of that. I allowed myself to be in the situation to lose the set, maybe even lose the match.”
