ROGER & OUT
Roger Federer is facing an early exit from the ATP Finals after losing his opening match last night.
The Swiss superstar was beaten 7-5 7-5 by Austrian Dominic Thiem in the tennis Alps Derby on the opening night at the O2 Arena in London..
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It was the fifth time in 17 appearances Fed had lost his opening match of the season-ending tournament.
And it means if he loses his next match against Italian Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday then he could miss the semi-finals for just the second time.
Thiem, the French Open finalist, was impressive and aggressive in his approach and crucially broke in the 11th game of both sets to savour a famous triumph.
It was the fifth time he had beaten Federer and incredibly the third time in 2019.
Thiem said: “It was a great performance. My first opening win at the finals.
“Every single time, it’s overwhelming and breath-taking to enter this arena, especially when it is packed.
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“It was a good , close match. It’s special to beat Roger, a legend. I love playing him, I learn so much.
“It’s amazing to play against the best player of all time, a real legend like that. Luckily I have a good record against him and try to stay positive in this head-to-head all the time.
“The games where I have to serve out it’s always a struggle
“You don’t get any presents from him. He puts in all the returns. There are nerves. Not every day you are playing here in this arena against Roger and I am pleased I pulled through.”
The 26-year-old, ranked number five in the world, will face Novak Djokovic on Tuesday as they battle for promotion from the Bjorn Borg Group.
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