Hot News: Roger Federer Withdraws Before Year-End Final With Novak Djokovic

LONDON - It was an anticlimactic year-end tournament: full of lopsided matches, unforced errors and disgruntled fans.

But the true anticlimax came on Sunday afternoon at the ATP World Tour Final as Roger Federer walked on court a half-hour before the start of his much anticipated duel in the final with Novak Djokovic and announced that he was withdrawing because he was not match fit.

Federer later explained that he had injured his back in the late stages of his dramatic 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (6) semifinal victory over Stan Wawrinka on Saturday night.

'I'm sorry I'm here in a track suit and not in a match outfit,' Federer told the crowd. 'Unfortunately I'm not match fit to play the match tonight. Clearly I wish it wasn't so. I tried all year to be ready for the ATP World Tour Finals, and I didn't want it to end this way, but I tried everything I could last night and also today: painkillers, treatment, rest, warm-up until the very end. But just I can't compete at this level with Novak and in a finals like this it would be too risky at my age to do this right now. I hope you understand.'

Federer, who has had a resurgent season at 33, saved four match points against his Swiss Davis Cup teammate Wawrinka. But the second-ranked Federer could not recover in time to renew his rivalry with the No. 1 ranked Djokovic in the decisive match of the year-end championships.

Instead, Djokovic, who spoke of being mentally exhausted after his victory over Kei Nishikori on Saturday, got to hold up the trophy without breaking a sweat in the 02 Arena. He then took part in a hastily arranged exhibition match against British player Andy Murray, the 2013 Wimbledon champion who was eliminated in the round-robin phase here after losing 6-0, 6-1 to Federer. He is the first player to win this prestigious title three times in a row since Ivan Lendl did so in 1985, 1986 and 1987.

Federer has won the year-end championships, which bring together the top eight players in the world, a record six times. But his push for a seventh title may end up affecting his biggest late-season objective.

Neither Federer nor Switzerland has won Davis Cup, but the team, led by Federer and Wawrinka, has reached the final against the French: a final that is set to begin on indoor clay in Lille, France on Friday.

Post By http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/17/sports/tennis/roger-federer-withdraws-before-year-end-final-with-novak-djokovic.html