Novak Djokovic v Roger Federer: ATP Finals – live!

*Djokovic 4-6 1-0 Federer Djokovic just could not get going in that first set. Federer put him under right from the start and played beautifully all the way through, but it’s the quality of serving that must’ve been most dispiriting for his opponent. And here we go again, Federer nailing a second serve down the line at 15-0 before earning 15-30 … and a forehand into the bootlaces forces Djokovic to net! Two break points, and might this be that? A wild forehand from Federer saves the first, and then a nondescript approach allows Djokovic to go cross-court. But at advantage, Djokovic makes another uncharacteristic error, before a pause for a clown wearing a bobble hat indoors to put his camera away. Djokovic cleans up thereafter, and I wonder if we’ll look back at that as the key hold of the match.

Djokovic 4-6 Federer* Off we go. A service winner gives Federer 15-0 and a forehand, whipped cross-court, confirms Federer’s status as the foremost geometrist of the age. Another booming serve follows – this is poetry – and an ace wraps it up. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO SERVE BETTER THAN THIS, AGAINST THE GREATEST RETURNER IN THE GAME!

*Djokovic 4-5 Federer Federer is a joke. A big forehand gets him 0-15 and then a wild one from Djokovic puts him two points away from the set; he’s seeing it, and even if Djokovic hauls him back, he’ll know that a break just is not on the agenda the way they’re both playing. He does haul him back – Federer plays an ill-advised drop not for the first time, a tactic he should drop because Djokovic is doing well at the net – and two points later, the game is did. After a quick relax, Federer will serve for this first set.

Djokovic 3-5 Federer* Djokovic has done nothing on the Federer serve yet so far, and he can’t do anything here either, an ace down the middle making it 40-0. This is really brilliant from yerman, another pearler of a second, out wide again, too good for yerotherman, who’ll now serve to stay in the set.

*Djokovic 3-4 Federer A fine forehand return from Federer gives him 30-15, and then another forehand, somehow down the line but hit from the middle of the court, gives him a sniff. He then comes in following a second serve – Djokovic has been so good in that department lately, but it’s not working for him tonight – but a pass sets up game point, and a big first one clinches it.

Djokovic 2-4 Federer* Federer gets to 30-0 making it 12 out of 13 first serves made, and an ace makes it 40-0. Not bad. And have a look! A second serve, Edberg-style, kicking onto the sideline for an ace! I say!

*Djokovic 2-3 Federer Djokovic needed that. He ends up holding to 30, but that was a much more authoritative game for him, and finished with him having the better of a net confrontation.

Djokovic 1-3 Federer* I do feel like we’ve seen this before: Federer starts well but can’t sustain his level, especially with Djokovic wearing him down. And here we go, Djokovic crashing a forehand winner cross-court to open the game. Then, at 15-all, he runs down a drop to spirit a winner cross-court, but Federer is having none of him and resolves the game from there.

*Djokovic 1-2 Federer Djokovic begins with a double, then sends down another fault immediately afterwards … and another! That second one, down the middle, missed by an aeon! Federer then makes himself a chance with a backhand slice, which he nails with a forehand down the line! The best rally of the match follows, Djokovic dictating, but then Federer finds a backhand down the line! These two are so so good, and watching them play is ridiculously moving.

Djokovic 1-1 Federer* That was a decent start for Federer; or, alternatively, that was his chance and he missed it. We shall see. We’ve started seeing. Federer rushes through the game to 15, and that was something of a statement.

*Djokovic 1-0 Federer Djokovic serves to Federer’s forehand and the return – a free one really – goes wide. We get a rally next though, and it’s even until Djokovic swipes a backhand cross-court – his consistency is something else. But he then comes in and isn’t definitive enough with his volley before making it 40-15 and serving a double; now then. Federer comes in himself and Djokovic can’t pass, then Djokovic goes long with an awkward forehand off the baseline; deuce. But from there he quickly serves out.

“There have been 66 majors since and including Wimbledon 2003,” tweets Brand King. “Of those 66, Fed, Rafa and Novak account for 55 titles, with only seven other players breaking through. That’s 8448 entries into the main draw & only ten different champions. The elite breathe rarefied air.”

I’m not sure sport has seen anything like it, never mind tennis.

Harry Kane has put England 2-0 up. They need a point to seal qualification for the Euros.

The O2 is terrible for music – Leonard Cohen aside – but it’s absolutely great for tennis. And actually, it’s especially good in the nosebleeds, where you get a much better idea of how hard the players hit the ball and when they really open their shoulders to put a bit more in.

Goran Ivanisevic says that Djokovic is feeling good, and that Federer will be thinking about the matchpoints he missed. Djokovic needs to be more attacking than he was against Thiem. He’s told that the court is quick, and asked who that favours – Federer, basically – but he says it’s the court, the balls are just flying about and hard to control.

Elsewhere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has put England ahead against Montenegro. You can follow that with Paul Doyle.

Djokovic needs to win here to end the year as world number 1. I’m sure he fancies that, but I’d be astonished if it inspired nerves so intense they hindered his performance tonight.

In the box, they can’t see a way for Federer. I wouldn’t quite go that far – if he can work his approaches, get to the net, and put Djokovic under, he’s got a chance. But that’s about the size of it.

Rusedski points out that Thiem hit 51 winners to beat Djokovic, otherwise known as the Stan method. I guess it tells us that he still doesn’t think he can outplay Djokovic, so he went for broke and hit the seam. It’s hard to pull that off more than once in a year, never mind more than once in a tournament. I think I’ve just talked myself into backing Djokovic to lift the trophy on Sunday.

Breaking: Tim has informed us that the winner is into the semis and the loser is going home. More news as I get it.

Obviously it’s Henman, Rusedski and Croft in the studio. What imagination!

Marat Safin is on the telly. I’m told that he was as brilliant as going out as he was at playing tennis, which is the reason he “only” won one major.

Even thinking about this has put me in a fair old spin. How can we make sense of the world?

On this topic, Tumaini Carayol, now of this

kehila
parish, has some thoughts on the subject.

I know that comparison is the death of beauty and all that, but how are we ranking them? I’d go Federer first I suppose, but is that an aesthetic call? Did Nadal have his number when both were at their best? is Djokovic less beatable when facing another top player playing well?

I say all of this, but really, what am I chatting about? Anyone who can conceive of anything without Federer, Nadal and Djokovic is a fabulist.

Ooonnnnn the other hand, Thiem has since been beaten by Berretini, Zverev then lost to Tsitsipas, and Nadal did eventually get by Medvedev. But it’s a start, because the issue isn’t yet one of consistency, rather ability: they have to beat the best before they can beat the best repeatedly. Of course, none of it will really mean anything until someone wins a Slam – now that you ask, I think Medvedev and Tsitsipas will, Thiem will in Paris if Nadal quits while he’s still good and fit, and Zverev won’t because his volleying and reliability will never quite get there. I might be wrong.

Well! Is the playing field finally level? These two meet tonight having both lost to Dominic Thiem, while Rafael Nadal was beaten by Alex Zverev then only just sneaked by Daniil Medvedev. It’s taken years and skipped a generation – we’ve seen the false dawns of your Griggsys, your Nickys, your Miloses and the rest – but finally, aged 127, 109 and 106 respectively, the big three are losing big matches to children. Quite how tennis copes with that, I’ve not a clue – for a decade, it was the best sport in the world in terms of how good its greatest were, and it’s inconceivable that these will be anywhere near them – but we’re good for a change, and it looks like we’re getting one.

Whoever wins tonight will join Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals, with Zverev and Medvedev fighting over the final sport tomorrow. I’d be buzzing for that if I wasn’t replete with buzz for this – we don’t know how much more of these boys we’ve got, so it’s our duty as human beings to wade right into them while we can. Yalla yalla!

Play: 8pm GMT.