Roger Federer insists he is happy to be labelled as the underdog in the latest instalment of his epic rivalry with Rafael Nadal after booking a semi-final showdown with the Spaniard at the ATP World Tour Finals.
Federer defeated Argentine fourth seed Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-5 on Saturday to ensure a second place finish in Group B and a 32nd career meeting with world number one Nadal.
In the other semi, defending champion Novak Djokovic, who finished Group B with a 100 per cent record after a 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-3 win over Richard Gasquet on Saturday, takes on Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka.
Federer, a six-time Tour Finals champion, is desperate to finish one of the worst campaigns of his illustrious career with yet another triumph in the prestigious season-ending event at London’s O2 Arena.
The 32-year-old knows Nadal goes into the tie as favourite after capping a remarkable return from a serious knee injury by winning the French and US Opens, as well as eight other titles, en route to securing the first place in the year-end rankings.
History also favours Nadal, who leads their head-to-head 21-10 and has won 13 of their last 17 matches, including all three this year.
