Djokovic, Federer move up in ATP Tour

LONDON – Novak Djokovic only needed a set. The Serb No. 1 rarely settles for less than two, though, especially against one of his favorite opponents.

Djokovic reached the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals by extending his dominance over Tomas Berdych, beating the Czech player 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday in their last round-robin match to stay on course for a fourth straight title.

Earlier, Roger Federer overcame a stubborn Kei Nishikori to finish the round-robin stage unbeaten and claim first place in the group.

Under the tournament’s tiebreaker rules, Djokovic would have advanced even if he lost in three sets, which would have left both players with a 1-2 record. That meant there was little left to play for after he broke for a 5-3 lead in the first and then served out the set.

Djokovic didn’t let up, though, breaking for 6-5 in the second and improving his career record against Berdych to 21-2. He has beaten the Czech five times in the last six years at the ATP finals.

That history might have given Djokovic an edge on the key points at the O2 Arena, he said.

“I know that because I’ve had many close matches with him, because I’ve won so many times against him, maybe there is this factor of a mental edge,” Djokovic said, “maybe an advantage in important moments, decisive moments where I’m able to stick around and stay tough and believe that I can actually win.”

He’ll be up against another familiar face next, with Rafael Nadal awaiting in the semifinals on Saturday. The Spaniard has beaten both Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka in the other group as he continues a late-season resurgence following a disappointing year.

“It’s a fact that he’s been playing better and he’s been raising his level ever since the US Open,” Djokovic said of Nadal.