Why Did the ATP World Tour Finals Flop?

Why did the ATP World Tour Finals flop?

There is no denying it, the ATP World Tour Finals did not live up to expectations. Roger Federer withdrawing from the Final at the eleventh hour sadly epitomised a tournament that ended the ATP calendar on a whisper rather than the customary bang. Fortunately the Davis Cup this weekend is a chance at redemption, as France and Switzerland face-off in a hotly contested Final showdown.

When the Top 8 men in the world gather for a tournament fireworks are almost a given. The quality of men’s tennis over the last decade has inflated our expectations for entertainment to almost unattainable levels and this year, for once, the action on court did not live up to the hype.

Novak Djokovic ultimately lifted the trophy with a walkover in the Final as Roger Federer withdrew due to a back injury he picked up at the end of his semi final against Stan Wawrinka. The tournament was just about threatening to catch fire after two intense semi finals, but it wasn’t to be as Djokovic instead took on Andy Murray in an exhibition match to entertain the crowd, lifting the trophy in one of the more surreal ends to a season.

Djokovic and Federer were too dominant

In the Round Robin there were only two matches that went to three sets, which is a far cry to the World Tour Finals in previous years where the majority of matches were tense three setters. Djokovic didn’t even break into a sweat in Group A and, well, Roger Federer never sweats. Djokovic carried his amazing form indoors into London and only conceded nine games against his three opponents.

None of the Serb’s matches ever looked like becoming a contest and even when he faced Stan Wawrinka, who had dispatched Thomas Berdych 6-1 6-1, he never looked unduly troubled, bagling the Swiss number two in the second set, which was to become a theme of the week.

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If you needed any evidence of how well Federer was playing over in Group B, his demolition of Andy Murray 6-0 6-1 and sheer relentless quality showed a man who knew he was playing well enough to go all the way. Immediately after the game he said he was frustrated that he allowed Murray to get the one game, the next day changing his tune, perhaps on the advice of his media team, saying he was glad Murray wasn’t totally humiliated.

As Federer humbled some of the biggest names in men’s tennis, despite the quality of tennis on show, it was not the nail biting drama that we have come to expect from the matches between the top guys. It showed the gap that still exists between the chasing pack and for Andy Murray in particular, his performances next year will go a long way to dictating if he is categorised as one of the Big Four or the leader of the chasing pack in the history books.

Other players were tired or burnt out

How poor were some players? The answer, if some of the score lines didn’t already give this away, is very poor. Marin Cilic and Thomas Berdych only won eighteen games each, and Berdych even won a match. Both men seemed to lack ideas, but also drive and determination in a big way. It was noticeable that as both men went down in matches, they had the look in their eyes that they knew it was coming and they didn’t have the fight to change it.

Positions at the World Tour Finals were decided late in the day, with four men confirming their places in London at the final event of the year in Paris the week before. It was almost as if they had exerted so much physical and more importantly mental energy on qualifying that they had nothing more to give.

Nov 12, 2012; London, UNITED KINGDOM; Novak Djokovic (SRB) returns a shot during his match against Roger Federer (SUI) during the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Leo Mason-USA TODAY Sports /

Andy Murray and Milos Raonic were prime examples of this, with Murray in particular playing six weeks in a row to qualify for London. The Brit’s form looked ominous from the first few points against Kei Nishikori in his opening match and despite beating Raonic, he never looked that competitive.

There has been a huge amount of talk about Murray and how his defeat to Federer in particular showed he is on the decline, but finishing at six in the world after back surgery is not to be taken lightly. Murray will be back in contention for the big titles next year, you can be sure of that.

The court was too slow

Blame the camera angles all you like, but the court at the O2 arena in London was slow. Being there in person confirmed this even more, as players were struggling to generate any pace. It made for a unique World Tour Finals as the style of play that was being rewarded was that of patience and controlled aggression.

There was nothing for the all out attack style that so many players revert to as a Plan B strategy. This is why at other tournaments you see so many three setters in matches between the top guys, as whoever loses the first set tends to go all guns blazing and turn the tables. This simply didn’t work in London, as players who lost the first set and become more proactive where even further punished for their lack of patience.

Kei Nishikori displayed the qualities needed to turn a match around on a slow court, losing the first set to Djokovic in the first semi final and continuing to be patient in the second. He still picked the right balls to attack and was rewarded for doing so. He fell apart in the third set as he started to go for too much.

You can argue this was one of the major flaws of the court and the slow surface. It didn’t allow for players to hit a patch of form and crush every shot. It was a tactic that Marin Clilic executed brilliantly against Roger Federer at the US Open.

People are bored of London

I really don’t think this is the case, as the crowds in the stadium were some of the most enthusiastic as you will find on the tennis tour. Next year could see the World Tour Finals move from London, but as ATP Director Chris Kermode noted, he will not move to a new venue for the money, his priority is going somewhere that is well supported.

The blue courts of the O2 have certainly become iconic and the sounds and lights turn it into a great spectacle, but a change may revitalise the World Tour Finals for the better. When they were hosted in Shanghai there were questions as to whether a new location would live up to expectations, but London has certainly excelled.

Nadal was missing

Jun 28, 2014; London, United Kingdom; Rafael Nadal (ESP) reacts during his match against Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) on day six of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports /

At one point over the week the ATP World Tour Finals website went down and in it’s place was a 404 missing page warning with a picture of Rafael Nadal. Whether this was pure coincidence or a subtle joke aimed at the tournament, it raises the issue that was on many people’s lips as players went down in matches showing very little fight.

The occasional cheer of “C’mon Rafa!” were greeted around the stadium with an awkward silence rather than laughter as spectators were acutely aware that they were missing out on the electric performances of the Spanish number 1. His form in Basel showed that had he delayed his appendix operation any longer, his tennis was not at the level to compete regardless, yet his presence was certainly missed in London.

Rivalries are one of the factors that has made tennis so great to follow in recent years and with a host of younger players emerging, it will take time for those new rivalries to develop. In the Round Robin stage the only real encounter that got pluses racing was Murray against Federer. With their head to head tied at eleven wins each, the anticipation was palpable. Sadly the Brit couldn’t handle Federer on the night, but those big time match ups were certainly missing from this years World Tour Finals.

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