Novak Djokovic Wins World Tour Finals After Federer Pulls Out Due To Injury

Novak Djokovic didn’t even have to break a sweat to win the last tournament of the ATP World Tour season. His opponent, tennis legend Roger Federer, didn’t compete due to a back injury, giving Djokovic a walkover 30 minutes before the match was set to begin.

As Sports Illustrated reported, Federer made the announcement himself and apologized to the crowd gathered to watch the Djokovic vs. Federer season finale. The walkover solidified Djokovic’s standing as the No.1 player in the world this season and gave Djokovic his third World Tour Finals victory in a row.

Federer,33, had won the opportunity to go against Djokovic for the ATP World Finals championship by defeating fellow Swiss player Stan Wawrinka less than 24 hours before he was to face Djokovic. Federer had saved four match points against Wawrinka in order to win the semi-final match. Federer said that he injured his back late in the match against Wawrinka, but thought he would be able to play against Djokovic.

“I tried to have treatment on it, medication on it, just tried to turn around as quick as possible really, but didn’t really feel that much of an improvement overnight.”

CNN reported that during his apology to the crowd, Federer told them how much he loved playing in the World Tour Finals match, and it was one he was looking forward to all year.

“I tried all year to be ready for the ATP World Tour Finals, and I didn’t want it to end this way…I wanted to come out personally and excuse myself. It’s been a great week for me. I played some great tennis and I love coming to the O2 and to London, and there’s been so many great memories for me here.”

Djokovic found out about the walkout about two and a half hours prior to his match against Federer during the doubles final match. While Djokovic will certainly take the victory, he was disappointed about winning because his opponent withdrew.

“It’s a very awkward situation to talk about. You never like to win, especially these big matches against big rivals, with a (walkover). But this is something you cannot predict.”

Djokovic went on to play an exhibition set against Great Britain’s Andy Murray. His third World Tour Finals win in a row makes him the first men’s player since Ivan Lendl in 1987 to achieve that feat. The win also kept Djokovic’s 31-match winning streak for indoor matches intact.

This is not the first time Djokovic has won a big match in the United Kingdom against Federer. He won last year’s Worlds Tour Finals against Federer, and as the Inquisitr reported, Djokovic defeated Federer to take the Wimbledon title earlier this year.

[Images via Zimbio.com and Getty Images]