They've met in an early round, a quarterfinal round and a semifinal round this season. And on Sunday—live on Tennis Channel—Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro will collide in a final round, at the Swiss Indoors in Basel.
Federer, the resounding crowd favorite, has a 17-6 advantage in their career meetings and is 2-1 against del Potro this year, with victories in the third round of Miami (6-3, 6-4) and in the semifinals of Shanghai (3-6, 6-3, 6-3). But as Federer knows all too well, del Potro is always capable of taking charge. The Argentine's upset of Federer in the 2009 US Open final will never be forgotten, and he repeated the feat at Flushing Meadows just a few months ago. And there's this: two of del Potro's six wins against Federer have come in Basel finals.
There's also a lot more at stake for del Potro, who still has an outside shot of qualifying for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals. A victory will see him move past Pablo Carreno Busta, who currently occupies the final spot, in the ATP's Race to London.
"For me it's going to be a great challenge and also a great pleasure to play against Roger again in his hometown," del Potro was quoted by the ATP. "It will be a great atmosphere, and I will enjoy it a lot."
