Bouncebackability is what Novak Djokovic will target when the world number one plays Tomas Berdych in the final match of the Stan Smith Group at the ATP World Tour Finals in London.
Djokovic saw a 23-match winning run ended by Roger Federer in the last match, forcing the Serbian to pull off a win over Berdych to guarantee a place in the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals in London.
The world number one, who has won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open this year, was unexpectedly off-colour against Federer on Tuesday, even if much of the credit must go to his Swiss opponent, who played a perfect match.
"You have those days as well when you're not feeling your best, not even close to the best," Djokovic said after a 7-5, 6-2 loss. "Credit to Roger for mixing up the pace, giving me always a different ball.
"He used the slice and spin very wisely. He served very efficiently. I made a lot of unforced errors. Just handed him the win, especially in the second set.
"But, again, that's sport. Sometimes these kind of matches, these kind of days happen. The good thing is that it's a round-robin system, so I still have an opportunity to reach the semis."
If Djokovic shows the kind of form that was evident in his straight-set mauling of Kei Nishikori in the opening match of the tournament, Berdych will not stand a chance. However, if Berdych can take advantage of the early uneasiness that might be there after that loss to Federer, we just might get a contest.
Berdych absolutely must win if he is to stand any chance of qualifying for the semifinals. Having lost his first two matches, the Czech is reliant on the result from the first match on Thursday – between Federer and Nishikori.
If Nishikori beats Federer, then Berdych is out of the tournament, with Djokovic needing a win to qualify for the semis. However, if Nishikori loses, Berdych will need to produce a big win in order to scrape through on the sets and games won formula.
Berdych played well in patches against Nishikori, but the 30-year-old will know he needs to bring his A-game from point one to stand a chance of upsetting Djokovic.
Where to Watch Live
Novak Djokovic vs Tomas Berdych is set to begin at 8 pm local time (1.30 am IST, 3 pm ET). The match will be shown live in India on Ten Sports, Ten HD and Star Sports 4/HD4, while all the action can also be watched via online live streaming on Ten Sports Live, Starsports.com and Hotstar.
Viewers in the UK can watch the match live on Sky Sports, with the live stream option on Sky Go. Audience in the US can catch the action on ESPN 3, while Djokovic vs Berdych can be live streamed on Watch ESPN.
Viewers from across the world can watch the ATP World Tour Finals 2015 live on ATP's official website.
