Djokovic eyes Tour Finals history

LONDON — Novak Djokovic has history in his sights as the world No. 1 aims to cap the greatest year of his life by winning a fourth successive ATP Tour Finals title. Even by Djokovic’s already sky-high standards, 2015 has been a golden period for the 10-time Grand Slam winner, who has cemented his position as the sport’s preeminent force with one of the best single-seasons in the Open era. With 78 wins from his 83 matches over the last 11 months, the 28-year-old Serb has amassed 10 titles including the Australian and US Opens, Wimbledon and a record six Masters tournaments. The prize money from that haul has swelled Djokovic’s bank balance by $16.7 million and underlined his right to be regarded as the world’s best, yet he has shown no signs of slowing down in the closing weeks of the campaign. Since losing to Roger Federer in the Cincinnati final in August, Djokovic has embarked on a 22-match winning run that has brought him the US Open, the China Open and Masters titles in Shanghai and Paris. Now Djokovic arrives at London’s O2 Arena hoping to win the prestigious season-ending Tour Finals for a fifth time. Djokovic, who opens his Tour Finals challenge against Japan’s Kei Nishikori Sunday, would become the first player to win the event four years in a row if he lifts the trophy on Nov. 22 and, ominously for his rivals, he claims he feels in the form of his life. With a fearsome record of 37 successive indoor match wins, including 14 at the Tour Finals, few would bet against Djokovic, even with an early showdown against Federer looming in the group stage. World No. 3 Federer, who starts his 14th straight Tour Finals campaign against Tomas Berdych Sunday, has a record six Tour Finals titles and has reached the final four times in the last five years. The 17-time Grand Slam champion, defeated by Djokovic in the Wimbledon and the US Open finals, pulled out of last year’s final against Djokovic just hours before the scheduled start due to an injury, but he expects to mount another strong challenge for the title. The other group in the round-robin tournament, which features the world’s top eight players, features Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and David Ferrer. — AFP