ATP World Tour Finals 2014 Results: Full Tournament Scores, Highlights and Recap
Novak Djokovic won his fourth ATP World Tour Finals title and third straight on Sunday at the O2 Arena in London after Roger Federer was forced to retire from the competition just minutes before the start of the final.
The 2014 WTF deserved a far more glorious finish than that, as the two leaders on the ATP ranking had put together phenomenal runs to the final, each dropping just a single set on their way. As shared by The New York Times' Christopher Clarey, Federer told reporters he simply couldn't play due to back spasms:
Federer survived a phenomenal semi-final match against compatriot Stan Wawrinka on Saturday, and while pundits assumed that match would have an impact on the final, no one could have foreseen the extent.
Here are the full tournament scores:
| Day 1 | |
| Kei Nishikori defeats Andy Murray | 6-4, 6-4 |
| Roger Federer defeats Milos Raonic (7) | 6-1, 7-6 |
| Ivan Dodig & Marcelo Melo defeat Daniel Nestor & Nenad Zimonjic | 6-3, 7-5 |
| Marcel Granollers & Marc Lopez defeat Julien Benneteau & Edouard Roger-Vasselin | 6-4, 6-4 |
| Day 2 | |
| Stan Wawrinka defeats Tomas Berdych | 6-1, 6-1 |
| Novak Djokovic defeats Marin Cilic | 6-1, 6-1 |
| Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares defeat Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau | 6-3, 3-6, 12-10 |
| Lukasz Kubot and Robert Lindstedt defeat Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan | 7-6, 6-3 |
| Day 3 | |
| Roger Federer defeats Kei Nishikori | 6-3, 6-2 |
| Andy Murray defeats Milos Raonic | 6-3, 7-5 |
| Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin defeat Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic | 6-4, 5-7, 10-4 |
| Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo defeat Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez | 7-6, 7-6 |
| Day 4 | |
| Tomas Berdych defeats Marin Cilic | 6-3, 6-1 |
| Novak Djokovic defeats Stanislas Wawrinka | 6-3, 6-0 |
| Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan defeat Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau | 6-7, 6-3, 10-6 |
| Lukasz Kubot and Robert Lindstedt defeat Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares | 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 |
| Day 5 | |
| Roger Federer defeats Andy Murray | 6-0, 6-1 |
| Kei Nishikori defeats David Ferrer | 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
| Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin defeats Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo | 4-6, 6-2, 10-8 |
| Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic defeat Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez | 6-7(5), 6-3, 11-9 |
| Day 6 | |
| Novak Djokovic defeats Tomas Berdych | 6-2, 6-2 |
| Stan Wawrinka beat Marin Cilic | 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 |
| Lukasz Kubot and Robert Lindstedt defeat Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau | 6-4, 7-6 |
| Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan v Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares | 7-6, 7-6 |
| Semi-Finals | |
| Novak Djokovic defeats Kei Nishikori | 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 |
| Roger Federer defeats Stanislas Wawrinka | 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 |
| Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo defeat Lukasz Kubot and Robert Lindstedt | 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 |
| Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan defeat Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin | 6-0, 6-3 |
| Finals | |
| Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan defeat Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo | 6-7, 6-2, 10-7 |
| Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer | Federer forced to retire, Djokovic wins |
Recap
Fans very nearly got the final they had been dying to see from the very start of the tournament, as Federer and Djokovic dominated the group stages and battled their way to the final against Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori, respectively.
Plenty of fans were desperate to see the two battle in the final—some were not. In a year that saw plenty of players take the next step and become actual threats to the supremacy of the likes of Djokovic, Federer and Rafael Nadal, the group stages were surprisingly straightforward.
Sure, Milos Raonic was hampered by an injury that saw him drop out of the Finals before the end of the group stages, and Andy Murray felt the effects of his busy schedule, but the likes of Marin Cilic and Tomas Berdych simply fell short. TennisNow shared this statistic:
Bleacher Report's Lindsay Gibbs points to the phenomenal form of Federer and Djokovic as the main reason:
"Let's start with the obvious reason why: Federer and Djokovic have been in top form. Djokovic, who clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for the third time in his career on Friday, is on an unprecedented 30-match winning streak on indoor hard courts and is undefeated since his son was born last month. He is trying to win the WTFs for a third straight year.
Federer continues to defy logic by playing world-class tennis after his 33rd birthday. Seriously, the guy is just not normal.
"
Were the group stages of this year's WTF a disappointment? Perhaps. For tennis aficionados, watching the Joker and Fed Express dismantle the opposition was a thing of beauty, while others were perhaps hoping for a little more excitement.
There's more, of course. Nishikori, Murray, Berdych and Raonic hadn't even qualified for the tournament until two weeks ago, and a heavy slate of late-season matches showed. Murray in particular disappointed in London after a phenomenal run of matches in October.
By contrast, Wawrinka came into the tournament seemingly in dreadful form, yet the Australian Open winner shocked everyone by playing some lights-out tennis. His dismantling of Berdych in his opening match was impressive, and that form held all the way to a semi-final battle for the ages against Federer.
Raonic's injury before the final group-stage match threw an odd wrinkle into the proceedings, forcing David Ferrer to step in as a replacement. Ultimately, Nishikori was deserving of a spot in the semi-final, something he proved by becoming the only man to win a set against Djokovic.
As reported by SuperSport, the Japanese star is eyeing Grand Slam success in 2015:
"It was one of the best years for me. For sure I have to do well this off-season. I have to train well and be injury-free again.
I think I will have a lot of chance in the big tournaments, especially Grand Slams. Hopefully I can come back to a final again.
I love to play the Australian Open, so hopefully I can have good start of the year there.
"
But without a doubt, the highlight of the tournament was the second semi-final between Federer and Wawrinka, which saw the former save four match points:
Wawrinka had Federer on the ropes after an incident early in the final set that saw a call from a line judge overruled, something Federer failed to pick up on until it was too late.
His focus broken, it took Fed Express several games to rediscover his form, and Wawrinka couldn't take advantage. A low conversion percentage on his first serve didn't help, either, and it highlighted the difference between the two compatriots. If Wawrinka can cut back on the mistakes in 2015, it should be another fine season.
After all that, the fans deserved that dream final between Federer and Djokovic, but it never happened. Without it, the 2014 Finals won't be remembered as an all-time epic, but the rise of several new faces makes for some interesting storylines as we start preparing for next year's tournament.
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