LONDON – Defending champion Roger Federer will meet Rafael Nadal in round-robin play at this year’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 in a replay of their thrilling three-set 2010 final. Today’s draw ceremony at BBC Radio 5 Live studios, which was broadcast and streamed live, also pitted World No. 1 Novak Djokovic with British No. 1 Andy Murray in Group A.Federer, who takes a 12-match winning streak into the tournament, including consecutive titles at the Swiss Indoors Basel and the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, seeks to become the first player in history to win the season finale six times. The Swiss won the title in 2003-04, 2006-07 and in 2010, when he joined Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl as the only five-time winners of the event.
In arguably tennis’ greatest-ever rivalry, Nadal leads Federer 17-8 in career meetings. Since falling to Federer in last year’s final at The O2 in London, Nadal has defeated Federer in all three meetings this season, including their most recent clash in the Roland Garros final. Nadal and Federer are joined in Group B by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who will be making his second appearance, and debutant Mardy Fish.
Murray enters the tournament having won 18 of his past 19 matches. Since reaching the semi-finals of the US Open earlier this summer, the Scot has captured titles in Bangkok, Tokyo and Shanghai. Murray and Djokovic are joined in Group A by 2007 finalist David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych, who is making his second consecutive appearance.
In the first singles match of the tournament Sunday afternoon, Federer will meet Tsonga for the seventh time this year. Tsonga became the first player to come from two sets down in Grand Slam play to beat Federer in five sets this year at Wimbledon, but Federer avenged that loss at the US Open and in Sunday’s BNP Paribas Masters final. At night, Nadal will play Fish.
On Monday afternoon Murray will take a four-match winning streak into his match with Ferrer. Djokovic, looking to cap one of the greatest seasons in tennis history with victory in London, plays Monday night against 2010 Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych.
The world’s top two doubles pairings, Bob and Mike Bryan and Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic, lead doubles Groups A and B respectively. The Bryan brothers, who have clinched year-end No. 1 honours for the seventh time in nine years, won the season finale in 2003-04 and 2009. Zimonjic won the title in 2008 and last year, both times with Daniel Nestor.
Singles Groups
Group A
Novak Djokovic (SRB)
Andy Murray (GBR)
David Ferrer (ESP)
Tomas Berdych (CZE)
Group B
Rafael Nadal (ESP)
Roger Federer (SUI)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)
Mardy Fish (USA)
Doubles Groups
Group A
Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan
Mahesh Bhupathi/Leander Paes
Robert Lindstedt/Horia Tecau
Jurgen Melzer/Philipp Petzschner
Group B
Michael Llodra/Nenad Zimonjic
Daniel Nestor/Max Mirnyi
Rohan Bopanna/Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi
Mariusz Fyrstenberg/Marcin Matkowski
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