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ATP Finals semi-finals preview & predictions: Federer v Tsitsipas and Thiem v Zverev


Will Federer win the ATP Finals? (Picture: Getty)

After one of the most entertaining group stages in recent memory, the ATP Finals semi-final line-up is set.

Gone are top seeds Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, with the year-end world No. 1 spot decided – in Nadal’s favour – and now three of the most prominent young stars attempting to overhaul the old guard will battle it out with the last remaining member of the ‘Big Three’, Roger Federer, for supremacy in the eight-man event.

Federer has won this season-ending title more than any player before and he will take on debutant Stefanos Tsitsipas in the afternoon match, before French Open runner-up Dominic Thiem – who beat both Federer and Djokovic in the group stages – takes on defending champion Alexander Zverev.

Here we take a look at both matchups and predict who will advance to Sunday’s final.

Roger Federer vs Stefanos Tsitsipas

Tsitsipas is set to take on Federer (Picture: TPN/Getty)

After he was well beaten by Thiem on the opening day, Federer has found his mojo at the O2.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion was too strong for Italian debutant Matteo Berrettini before putting in an exquisite display against five-time champion Djokovic to send the Serb out of the tournament.

Tsitsipas picked up wins over fellow Next Gen stars to secure qualification before his final round robin match, which ended in a narrow defeat to world No. 1 Nadal.

The young Greek made himself known to the wider sporting world by defeating Federer at this year’s Australian Open – one of the most memorable cross-generational performances at Grand Slam level in recent times.

But he has since lost two matches at tour level to the 20-time major winner, failing to take a set off Federer in meetings in Dubai and Basel.

Given Federer has enjoyed an extra day’s rest and Tsitsipas played the longest match of the tournament thus far on Friday afternoon, he seems the sensible option to back.

Prediction: Federer in 2

Dominic Thiem vs Alexander Zverev

Thiem progressed as group winner (Picture: TPN/Getty)

Thiem captured the imagination of the British public in his blistering wins over Federer and, especially, Djokovic but went off the boil against Berrettini in his final group stage match.

While he was perhaps wiser than Tsitsipas – who got dragged into a near three-hour slog with Nadal – in terms of conserving energy, he may have lost momentum, while he was suffering with a cold.

That said, the heavy-hitting Austrian has a good head-to-head record against Zverev, winning five of their seven meeting to date.

Zverev is the defending champion (Picture: Getty Images)

While four of those wins came on his favoured clay, he did also claim victory in the pair’s sole previous meeting on an indoor hard court in Rotterdam – though that was nearly three years ago.

Zverev has tasted victory before in this competition and is capable of being untouchable on serve if he feels the ball well, but if Thiem returns to the level he was operating at in the early stages of this event, then he has the weapons to progress.

Prediction: Thiem in 3

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