LONDON (Reuters) - Roger Federer was handed the Sunday night prime time slot for the opening match of his 16th ATP Finals but fluffed his lines in an error-strewn 7-6(4) 6-3 defeat by Kei Nishikori.
After Kevin Anderson had beaten Dominic Thiem in the day’s supporting act, the crowds packed into the O2 Arena and settled in for another Federer masterclass.
What they got instead were 34 unforced errors flying off the Swiss great’s frame as his timing fell apart, and the sight of a tetchy Federer falling out with the umpire.
To sum up Federer’s night, he received a warning from umpire Damian Steiner in the 12th game of the opening set when he bashed a ball into the crowd.
“He thought I was angry. I wasn’t. Now I’m angry because I lost,” Federer, who will face Thiem on Tuesday in a match he will need to win to revive his hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the event for a 15th time.
Federer was far from his best but still looked to have Nishikori where he wanted him during the early exchanges in a match dubbed the “Uniqlo derby” after his recent switch to the same Japanese clothing supplier as his opponent.
Federer lacked his usual panache and dropped serve again to trail 4-2 and Nishikori calmly held at 5-3 for victory — his first over Federer since 2014.
“I’m glad to win, it is never easy to play with my idol, it is always a big challenge against him, so it was great to win today,” world number nine Nishikori, who will face Anderson next, said on court.
Wimbledon runner-up Anderson was arguably the day’s most impressive performer as he became the first South African since Wayne Ferreira in 1995 to qualify for the ATP Finals.
He repelled a fierce Thiem fightback, saving a couple of set points in the second set tiebreak before clinching a debut win with his 13th ace — celebrating by inviting the crowd to join in a verse of “happy birthday” to his watching wife Kelsey.
The Gustavo Kuerten Group, featuring world number one and tournament favorite Novak Djokovic, Marin Cilic, Alexander Zverev and American debutant John Isner, begins on Monday.