For a set not even the granite defence of Novak Djokovic could withstand the irresistible brute force of Juan Martin del Potro on Sunday but the Serb then rode out the storm to win the opening semi-final at the ATP World Tour Finals.
Andy Murray put away an off-colour Robin Soderling in the opening match of the ATP World Tour Finals in London on Sunday.
"It has been an amazing year. One year ago, for sure I never dreamed about being World No. 1 again at the end of the season. It's something that means a lot to me. But the season is not over."
The Briton, who was playing fairly before the mid-match trim, slumped to a defeat against Nadal in their Round Robin match in the ATP Tour Finals on Wednesday.
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and No. 8 seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland will clash in the ABN Amro Open semi-finals on Saturday after both posted victories on Friday in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
While off-court battles over pay and governance rumbled on, opportunities were scarce beyond the duopoly at the top of the men's game, leaving Djokovic to provide the year's standout moments for the chasing pack.
Novak Djokovic moved to the brink of his 100th tour-level title after recovering from a second-set blip to beat British qualifier Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-1 in the Geneva Open semi-finals on Friday.
Just nine days after his loss to Fritz, which snapped his 13-match unbeaten streak, the world number one defeated the American 6-4, 6-4 in straight sets, capping an incredible debut at the ATP 500 event and securing his career-best 67th season win, continuing a dream season.
He also overtook his career-best 65-season win tally of 2023 with this win.
Top seed and defending champion Jannik Sinner, playing on his 24th birthday, ended French qualifier Terence Atmane's dream run at the Cincinnati Open with a 7-6(4), 6-2 win on Saturday to reach the final of the US Open tune-up event.
Roger Federer wants more blood testing done in tennis to help keep the sport clear of doping, the 17-time Grand Slam champion said on the eve of the ATP World Tour Finals.
Japan Open: Alcaraz marches into quarterfinals, hails "best physio in the world" after overcoming ankle issues
Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan's Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi have decided to reunite for the 2014 season.
Djokovic did not do much wrong as he battled Sinner and the crowd - regularly jesting with the fans who jeered him throughout the duel.
Casper Ruud has become the first Norwegian to book a place in the season-ending ATP Finals, leaving one spot to be filled at the tournament in Turin, Italy later this month.
World number two Carlos Alcaraz beat seventh seed Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday to advance into his third Barcelona Open final, where the Spaniard will face Denmark's Holger Rune for the title.
Former world number three Nikolay Davydenko announced his retirement on Thursday at the age of 33.
Japan's Kei Nishikori surged to a three-set victory over alternate David Ferrer at the ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday before sitting back to watch his fate unfold in the night match.
Roger Federer gave a cautious thumbs up on Sunday to the ATP's decision to shorten the men's calendar by two weeks from 2012.
Poland's Hurkacz was a force to reckon with on serve -- firing 24 aces in the match -- but he ran out of steam in the final set
Russian Andrey Rublev has become the fifth singles player to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin next month, the men's tour said.
Britain's Jamie Murray and Brazil's Bruno Soares will end the year as the top-ranked doubles duo after French pair Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert lost at the ATP World Tour Finals on Friday.
Novak Djokovic felt unaffected by his recent losses to the top two players in the world, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, saying that while it is not ideal to lose big matches to the top talent regularly
Jannik Sinner beat defending champion and Spanish second seed Carlos Alcaraz to win his first Wimbledon title.
The 32-year-old debutant at the ATP's blue riband event won the first 11 games of the round-robin clash before a relieved Nishikori finally got on the scoreboard with an angled winner.
Medvedev outlasts Zverev to reach Halle final
Jack Sock ended local favourite Julien Benneteau's run at the Paris Masters with a 7-5, 6-2 victory to reach the final and move to the brink of an ATP Finals spot on Saturday.
Novak Djokovic ruthlessly took Matteo Berrettini apart at the ATP Finals on Sunday as he began his quest to reclaim the number one ranking by winning his opening group match 6-2, 6-1.
Anyone banking on the ravages of time taking their toll on Roger Federer had better think again -- the Swiss is only getting better, according to his latest victim.
Leander Paes and his partner Lukas Dlouhy rounded off their disappointing campaign at the season ending World Tour Finals with their third successive defeat in London on Friday.
It has now come to light that Federer's wife Mirka is at the centre of this now infamous row between the seventeen-time Grand Slam champion and the 2014 Australian Open champion.
Rafael Nadal's hopes of winning the year-ending ATP Finals for the first time live on after the Spaniard beat defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 on Thursday.
The prestigious end-of-season Masters Cup will switch from Shanghai to London from 2009, the ATP men's tennis tour announced on Tuesday.
Switzerland's Roger Federer, who has been hampered by back problems, has been named to play in the second singles rubber of the Davis Cup final against France's Gael Monfils on Friday, organisers announced on Thursday.
Australian bad boy Bernard Tomic has shrugged off his Miami arrest and banishment from the Davis Cup team to successfully defend his ATP title in Bogota.
The winner of 11 ATP World Tour doubles titles, Poles Marcin Matkowski and Mariusz Fyrstenberg were off to a great start with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory over Indo-Czech duo of Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy at the opening day Round Robin match at the 2010 World Tour Finals in London on Sunday.
Roger Federer became the first player to win the ATP World Tour Finals six times but had to weather a storming fightback by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga before retaining his title with a 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 victory at the O2 on Sunday.
'I've done an incredible job with my fitness. I've done an incredible job with my physiotherapy, so I've maximized on everything that I possibly can do.'
The first player to win a Grand Slam, the ATP World Tour Finals, the men's singles at the Olympic Games and a Masters title in the same calendar year.
Medvedev became only the fourth player in ATP history to beat the world's top three at the same tournament.
