A sold out crowd in London at the prestigious season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals helped launch a new partnership between the ATP and Unicef. Defending champion and Unicef Goodwill Ambassador Novak Djokovic and debutant Dominic Thiem were enthralling the packed O2 arena in their opening Ivan Lendl Group encounter before the “awareness moment” at the end of the first set. Each person in the stadium was handed a coloured plastic bag to spell out “Together for Children” in a stunning mosaic across the stands. Make A Donation The partnership has produced the Super 8, in which the world’s best eight qualified tennis players come together at the season-ending finale on a mission to help Unicef raise awareness and vital...
Novak Djokovic was forced to work hard on Sunday for his Group Ivan Lendl match win at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The second seed overcame eighth seed Dominic Thiem, a first-time qualifier, 6-7(10), 6-0, 6-2, in the pair’s fourth meeting. “Even though I lost the first set, I thought I didn't do too many things wrong. It was just the very high quality of his game that prevailed in the first set,” said Djokovic. “I started swinging more freely in the second set. He started making more errors, which I used. I was on top of his second serves, putting a lot of pressure. I thought I played very well in the second set especially, but the third...
Mid-rally, Dominic Thiem unloads on a forehand against Novak Djokovic for a clean winner at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com. Getty Images photo.
Dominic Thiem rips a forehand past a diving Novak Djokovic at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London on Sunday. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.
Third seeds Bob and Mike Bryan, the four-time former titlists at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals beat sixth seeds Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo 7-6(3), 6-0 in 65 minutes on Sunday in the Group Edberg/Jarryd opener. The Bryans were unable to convert four break point opportunities – on Dodig’s serve in the first game, and Melo’s first service game at 1-1 – in the 43-minute first set. Aggressive and deep returning on Dodig’s serve in the 22-minute second set ensured the first break for a 2-0 lead. The pressure continued to mount on the Croatian-Brazilian team as the American twins hit their spots on serve to guarantee routine service holds. The Bryans have a 36-20 match record at the...