ATP World Tour Finals 2013: Previewing Thursday's Men's Matchups

The ATP World Tour Finals have succeeded in bringing together some of the finest tennis talent that the sport has to offer, London being the location of this season's unmissable climax.

With Group A's incumbents in action on Wednesday, the other half of this year's men's selection are back out on the court this Thursday in what promises to be some extremely satisfying encounters.

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer may be looked at as favourites heading into their respective fixtures, but at this level of competition, a winning performance could come from any of the elite talents on show.

Roger Federer vs. Richard Gasquet

Having both lost their opening encounters in this year's ATP World Tour Finals, both Federer and Richard Gasquet come into Thursday's matchup hoping to turn fortune in their favour on the hard surface.

The difference between these two being that the Swiss No. 1 was bested by 2013 Paribas Masters champion and overall force to be reckoned with, Djokovic, while Gasquet's beating was at the hands of the less formidable Juan Martin Del Potro.

It was a slow start that eventually did Federer in, his 7-6 second-set win not being enough to stem the tide against Djokovic, while Gasquet started out strongly against Del Potro but eventually withered.

In 12 meetings, it's Federer who boasts a 10-2 record against Gasquet, the world No. 9 time and again being proven unfit to battle his elder.

However, with a win promising the victor their chance of advancing to the next round of this year's finals, there may yet be a surprise in the making for a meeting that hasn't been replicated since the 2012 Madrid Masters.

Novak Djokovic vs. Juan Martin del Potro

Djokovic began the defence of his ATP World Tour Finals title with a convincing win over Federer, riding the storm of his Swiss opponent's attempt at a comeback in the third set and proving his mettle against one of the world's best.

A baptism through fire of sorts, the challenge of facing Juan Martin del Potro perhaps won't faze the Serbian quite as much.

However, Del Potro told ESPN earlier this week that he has "nothing to lose" with giants such as these in his group, but it's a tactic that has seen many fall before.

The 25-year-old's comeback win over Gasquet was commendable, showing that Del Potro's mental toughness can run as deep as his physical talents, but will and determination only go so far against a power like Djokovic.

A repeat of this year's Wimbledon semi-final, fans can only hope that they get a competition of that same standard this week, replicating a back-and-forth affair between the two that took some time to forget.