Stanislas Wawrinka eked out the "biggest win" of his career when he downed Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2015 French Open and the Swiss champions says staying mentally strong is always key against the Serbian giant.
Four more performances like that at the O2 Arena this week should guarantee Andy Murray will end 2016 leading the pack.
Top seed Novak Djokovic overcame a strong challenge from Belgium's David Goffin to reach the Miami Open final with a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory on Friday as he continued his pursuit of a fifth title in six years on Key Biscayne.
Leander Paes and Purav Raja, who are trying to establish as a pair on the ATP World Tour, progressed to the quarterfinals of the St Petersburg Open with a straight-set win over Fabio Fognini and James Cerretani.
Before the tournament, top seed Djokovic declared the three should be favourites to win the Slams, and Federer agreed when asked after his Evans match.
It is the first time the final match of the season will decide who is ranked number one.
The British number one will play Croatian Donna Vekic, 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(4) victor over Czech Lucie Safarova in the day's second semi-final, in the climax to the Wimbledon warm-up tournament on Sunday.
Kei Nishikori exacted a measure of revenge against Marin Cilic when the Japanese world number five overcame the Croatian in the semi-finals of the Citi Open.
Novak Djokovic maintained his unbeaten record against Frenchman Gael Monfils with a 6-3, 6-2 win in the semi-finals of the Rogers Cup in Toronto on Saturday, while Japan's Kei Nishikori also reached the final after beating Swiss second seed Stan Wawrinka.
Djokovic saved a fifth match point but Thiem finally got the job done when he forced his opponent to float a defensive forehand over the baseline.
Nadal's participation in the season-ending Tour finals hung in the balance when the Spaniard pulled out of the Paris Masters
Olympic athletes, Posh Spice and Andy Murray honoured in Queen's New Year List.
The 33-year-old left-hander from Luxembourg had lost all five of his previous tour finals but prevailed at the sixth attempt in the Australian Open warm-up event at the Olympic Tennis Centre.
Matteo Berrettini won the Stuttgart Open for a second time after he beat Andy Murray 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 on Sunday to deny the Scot what would have been his first title on grass in six years.
For the first time since 2004, neither Novak Djokovic nor the injured Rafael Nadal will be in the Rome final.
Novak Djokovic's star still burns bright as he returns to Melbourne Park in search of a record seventh Australian Open title.
Two-time champion Novak Djokovic thumped Spain's David Ferrer 6-4, 6-2 to march into the last four of the Shanghai Masters on Friday and set up a semi-final showdown with third seed Roger Federer.
'The Laver Cup next week in London will be my final ATP event. I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in Grand Slams or on the tour.'
Former doubles world No. 1 Leander Paes was recently elected to receive the Ultimate Honour in Tennis - induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame - as the Class of 2024.
Italian top seed Matteo Berrettini marked himself down as a genuine Wimbledon threat after beating Britain's Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 to win the Queen's Club title on Sunday.
South Korean tennis player Hyeon Chung will be a star attraction at the second edition of Tata Open Maharashtra beginning in December.
'Everybody knows that they could wait a little bit, no? It was an unfortunate decision.'
Novak Djokovic said his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz was becoming like the one he shared with the Spaniard's compatriot, Rafa Nadal, after needing nearly four hours to outlast the 20-year-old world number one in an epic Cincinnati Open final on Sunday.
Roger Federer bounced back to form with a quick-fire win over Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan on Tuesday as he began his bid for a seventh title at his hometown tournament in Basel.
After winning the Asian Games mixed doubles gold, Indian tennis' newest star sets sights on breaking into the top 100.
Images from the US Open men's singles second round matches, at Flushing Meadows, New York, on Thursday.
Former world number one Andy Murray won his first ATP tour singles match in nearly nine months with a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-1 victory over American Tennys Sandgren in the opening round of the Zhuhai Championships.
Former champion Janko Tipsarevic has confirmed his participation for the USD 450,000 Aircel Chennai Open to be held here from January 5 to 11.
Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz won his second ATP Masters 1000 title at the Madrid Open after defeating defending champion Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-1 in front of his home crowd on Sunday.
U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic is a firm believer in the new International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), insisting the four-city mixed team tournament is a perfect addition to his preparations for the new season.
Stanislas Wawrinka survived a second-set wobble to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and give Switzerland a 1-0 lead over hosts France in the Davis Cup final on Friday. In the second match, Gael Monfils rose to the occasion as he upset Roger Federer 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 to help France level.
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has recognized the French Open semi-final encounter between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the "Best Grand Slam Match of the Year".
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Saturday
A soccer friendly between Belgium and Spain scheduled for Brussels on Tuesday has been postponed for security reasons after the Paris attacks, the Belgian soccer federation said in a statement.
Thiem, Wawrinka stay positive after defeats on return
Roger Federer produced a vintage performance to crush Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 and seal Switzerland's maiden Davis Cup title with a 3-1 win over hosts France on Sunday.
The 18-year-old Rune broke world number three Zverev four times in a flawless performance for his first win over a player in the ATP top-10
18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz earned his first ATP Masters 1000 crown
The upcoming Chennai Open has been robbed off some of its sheen with defending champion Janko Tipsarevic on Wednesday withdrawing from the country's premier tennis event owing to a foot injury.
The seventh-seeded Bulgarian advanced to his eighth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Del Potro, who struggled with the intense heat in the closing stages of the one hour, 39 minute match.
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