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ATP Finals: Djokovic wins, Federer prepares for Thiem battle
13 Nov 2018
World number one Djokovic showed his dominance in the ATP Finals after notching a commanding win over John Isner in their group opener.
The 31-year-old enjoyed a stellar 6-4, 6-3 victory to cap off proceedings.
Meanwhile, Roger Federer decided to skip Monday's practice session in order to focus on the round-robin match against Dominic Thiem.
Here's more on the ATP Finals.
Djokovic is the favorite to win the tourney
Favorite
Isner, who made his debut at the season-ending tournament, saw himself being broken down in the fifth game of the first set and then in the seventh of the second.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion, Djokovic, sealed the win on Isner's serve after producing a stellar cross-court backhand.
Djokovic is the firm favorite to win the title.
Federer under pressure as he faces Thiem
Pressure
Federer lost his opening tie against Nishikori and could be ousted from the tourney if he fails to win against Thiem tonight.
The six-time champion is under pressure to perform well after suffering a straight set loss against Japanese Nishikori.
The Swiss had never lost in straight sets in 45 round-robin matches prior to that loss.
Federer allowed frustration to get in way against Nishikori
Issue
Federer has quite the task in the group matches.
He not only needs to beat Thiem, but also South Africa's Kevin Anderson in the final encounter.
Federer got frustrated with himself in the match against Nishikori and that allowed the latter to grow in confidence.
The 20-time Slam champion hasn't won the ATP Finals title since 2011.
Zverev wins his match against Cilic
Zverev
German sensation Alexander Zverev surged past Croatian Marin Cilic in a closely fought battle.
The youngster opened his ATP Finals campaign with a 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-1), win at the O2 Arena in London.
At the moment, Djokovic leads Group Gustavo Kuerten with Alexander in second place.
Alexander capitalized on the mistakes made by Cilic in pivotal moments in the tie-breakers.
I knew it was a very important match: Zverev
Fact
"I knew it was a very important match, you don't want to start the group stage with a losing record. it was very important to get the win. I'm happy with how I played and happy to build from here," said the German.
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