Federer's win over Berrettini sets up a massive match against Djokovic

After falling to Dominic Thiem in his round-robin opener at the ATP Finals, Roger Federer bounced back on Tuesday, topping Matteo Berrettini in London, 7-6 (2), 6-3.

It was just the second career meeting between Berrettini and Federer, who had dropped just five games to the Italian in their Wimbledon fourth-round encounter in July.

“It’s unusual to lose and then comeback and play again, but I did it last year, so that’s some experience, so now I’m very happy how I played today,” said Federer. “Matteo was always going to be difficult with the big serve if you don’t get the read and you don’t get the balls back to where you’re hoping to, or you’re going to be in trouble.”

The serve was the decisive factor in this match, but it was Federer's deliveries that were the most dangerous. The first set did not see any breaks of serve, but Federer was able to separate himself from Berrettini in the tiebreaker, and converted his first set point.

It was a harbinger of things to come for Berrettini, who was broken at love to begin the second set. Federer followed with a comfortable hold. While Berrettini had a chance to retrieve the break in the eighth game, Federer's strong serving once again prevailed, hitting his way out to trouble before closing out the match in the next game.

”There's no reason to be too down [after losing to Thiem]. We came here to play three matches and give it all we have. It was the big goal of the season to qualify here, which we did," Federer said. "I had a day off and there’s plenty of ways to get rid of that loss. Hanging out with my kids will do that for me. I was ready and prepared today. That’s what matters the most right now.”

Federer is seeking his 104th career title, but his first season-ending crown since 2011. The 38-year-old plays Djokovic next, in a winner-stays-alive, round-robin blockbuster:

Berrettini, who has been eliminated from title contention, next faces Dominic Thiem.