With two wins in two, Roger Federer has already sealed his place in the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals 2015, and the Swiss master will now want to finish his business in the Stan Smith group unbeaten with a victory over Kei Nishikori at the O2 Arena in London on Thursday.
Federer opened up his campaign in the ATP World Tour Finals with a straight-set win over Tomas Berdych, before the 17-time Grand Slam champion picked up the big win over world number one Novak Djokovic, who had been on an unbelievable winning run before running into the immovable object that is Federer.
"Winning the first set clearly in a match like this gives you the upper hand," Federer said after his 7-5, 6-2 win over Djokovic. "It was important to strike again as quick as possible in the second set, and I did.
"I didn't [do anything different], don't think I mixed it up that crazy, to be honest. I didn't play any insane tactics. It was pretty straightforward, in a way I've played him many times in the past.
"My game is to mix it up, change up the spins. His game is to press you away. I think we both played our regular game, and it was a good outcome for me."
Having booked his place in the semifinals, Federer will want to make it 3-0 in this 2015 World Tour Finals by beating Nishikori, who needs a win to strengthen his case for a place in the semifinals.
Even if Nishikori loses, he will still be in with a slight chance, but the Japanese will then have to hope Tomas Berdych beats Djokovic in the late match, and then come out on top in those sets won and games won permutations and combinations.
Nishikori, though, will take some confidence into this match against Federer, after seeing off Berdych in three sets in his last match, after beginning the tournament with a thumping loss to Djokovic.
A win for Nishikori will not only knock Berdych out of the tournament, but also put the pressure on Djokovic, who will then need to beat his Czech opponent handsomely to make it to the semis.
Where to Watch Live
Roger Federer vs Kei Nishikori is scheduled for a not before 2 pm local time (7.30 pm IST, 9 am ET). Star Sports 4, Star Sports HD4, Ten Sports and Ten HD will show the ATP World Tour Finals group match live in India, while Federer vs Nishikori can also be caught via live streaming online on Starsports.com, Hotstar and Ten Sports Live.
Audience in the US can catch the action on ESPN 3, while the match can also be live streamed on Watch ESPN. Viewers in the UK can watch Federer play Nishikori live on Sky Sports, with the live stream option on Sky Go.
Viewers from across the world can watch the World Tour Finals action live on ATP's official website.
