Roger Federer vs. Stan Wawrinka: Score and Recap from 2014 ATP World Tour Finals

Roger Federer had to dig deep to book his place in the final of the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals against Novak Djokovic, beating Stan Wawrinka 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 at the O2 Arena in London, England in one of the closest matches of the past year.

Sports Illustrated Tennis shared the final score, and they too were in awe of what they had just witnessed:

Wawrinka came out firing and broke Federer's serve in the third game, the first time anyone was able to convert a break point against the world's No. 2 all week. With his backhand clicking, he put tremendous pressure on his compatriot and didn't concede a step in the rallies.

His serve also looked strong early, bailing him out of a tight spot in the fourth game. USA Today's Chris Chase couldn't help but feel he'd seen this kind of match before:

Wawrinka took big risks on his first serve, converting just 37 percent of his attempts but winning each and every point on the ones he managed to put into play during the first set.

Federer saw his serve broken again to take the score to 5-2, as he got unlucky with a shot that clipped the net and landed on the wrong side. A double fault from Wawrinka saw Federer secure his first break, but two games later, it was the 29-year-old who secured the first set after a dominant serve game.

Former tennis pro Jonas Bjorkman didn't like what he was seeing from the favourite:

ESPNTennis shared this interesting statistic:

"

First set to Wawrinka 6-4 over Federer. The loser of the first set has won 3 of the last 4 meetings between these two.

— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) November 15, 2014"

Wawrinka won just two more points than Federer in the opening set, and the latter appeared to change his tactics late in order to get his opponent out of rhythm. He continued serving out wide early in the second set, finding some success and keeping the match close.

He became more aggressive, advancing to the net earlier and keeping his compatriot on his toes. Wawrinka continued to struggle with the percentages on his first serve, and he nearly buckled in the sixth game, saving three separate break points.

Sky Sports Tennis knew it was a big moment in the set:

Federer refused to let up, however, and down 6-5, Wawrinka finally buckled. A poor overhead attempt gave Federer three set points, and an unforced error from Wawrinka completely shifted momentum toward the FedExpress.

Heading into a decider, the advantage clearly lied with the veteran, via ESPNTennis:

"

Federer 16-7 in decisive sets 2014, winning last 10 in a row. Wawrinka 6-9 in decisive sets in 2014, winning just 1 of last 6.

— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) November 15, 2014"

Wawrinka had no intention of going down without a fight, however, immediately breaking Federer's serve in the opening game of the final set.

The game came with some controversy as the umpire overruled a call from one of the line judges and Federer didn't hear it. He wasn't aware of the correct score as a result, and it appeared to throw off his concentration when he found out two points later, per Sports Illustrated Tennis:

Federer was visibly agitated, questioning the umpire regarding the call before returning to the court. It took him several games to get settled again, and several unforced errors followed as a result.

He continued bickering but appeared to recover in the rallies, nearly breaking Wawrinka in the ninth game.

Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images

Federer faced three match points down 6-4 but somehow managed to survive, and in the following game, he finally broke Wawrinka's serve to set up a tiebreak to decide who would advance to the final.

The two went head-to-head throughout the tiebreak, treating the fans to an epic display. Wawrinka appeared to be clutching his thigh after a Federer mini-break, but he managed to fight his way to a fourth match point, only to whiff on the return. The world No. 2 took control of proceedings from that point on, winning the tiebreak 8-6 to set up a semi-final date with Djokovic.

Federer knew how close he came to losing this semi-final match, via the New York Times' Christopher Clarey:

Djokovic and Federer will meet for the title on Sunday, and while both survived three sets on Saturday to get there, it was the Swiss veteran who had to dig deepest to do so.

The defending champion has displayed strong form so far and should be better rested than FedExpress, who in turn should receive a boost from such a miraculous comeback win.

Federer and Djokovic have been the two in-form players all week, and event organisers will get their dream final matchup when the two take to the court on Sunday.

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