Novak Djokovic has won the ATP World Tour Finals for the third successive year, but not in the way that he would have wanted.
Long-time rival Roger Federer was forced to withdraw prior to the championship match due to a back injury.
Federer, who required just under three hours to edge out compatriot Stan Wawrinka in a three-set semi-final thriller on Sunday morning, chose not to risk his injured back in the finale. It comes as the two men attempt to deliver Switzerland their maiden Davis Cup title against France in this weekend’s final.
That, and Olympic singles gold, are the only two major titles to have so far eluded Federer in a glittering career which includes 17 Grand Slam titles, Olympic doubles gold and the world’s number one rank for countless weeks.
The closest Federer has come to winning Olympic Gold in singles was in London two years ago, when he was on the wrong end of a straight-sets thrashing by Andy Murray in the final, while he was also on the receiving end of a stunning comeback by Lleyton Hewitt and Australia in the semi-finals of the 2003 Davis Cup.
While the fans were disappointed not to see the duel between Djokovic and Federer, who for the second time in three years will finish one and two in the world rankings, they were instead treated to an exhibition set between the Serb and local hero Andy Murray, with the world number one winning it eight games to five.
For Djokovic, it caps off a season of excellence which saw him defeat Federer in one of the classic Wimbledon finals in July, and return to top spot in the world rankings in the process, displacing Rafael Nadal.
After enduring a title-less opening two months of the season for the first time since 2006, the Serb claimed back-to-back Masters titles at Indian Wells and Miami, the former won by defeating Federer in a thrilling final-set championship tiebreak.
While Djokovic finishes this season as the world’s top-ranked male player, it will remain to be seen whether he will be the favourite for the Australian Open in 2015. Many, including myself, are suggesting that he will be hungry to regain his crown in Melbourne after being edged out by Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals this year.
You also cannot count out Roger Federer, whose season of resurgence saw him rise from a 12-year low of eighth in the world back to second behind Djokovic, or Rafael Nadal, who started the year as world number one but will end it ranked number three after yet another injury-plagued season.
Wawrinka, who defeated Nadal to win the Australian Open in January, finishes his breakthrough year ranked fourth in the world. It means he will not have to face any of Djokovic, Federer or Nadal until the semi-finals of next year’s opening Grand Slam tournament, where he faces his biggest challenge in defending his title.
Kei Nishikori, Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych, Milos Raonic, Marin Cilic and David Ferrer all round out the top 10.
There is just one more major tournament left before the 2014 tennis season comes to a close, and that is the Davis Cup final, which will see Switzerland up against a France team expected to be spear-headed by former Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.