With eye on top ranking, Djokovic faces Nishikori in ATP Finals semis

“Fancy meeting you here,” might be what Djokovic and Nishikori say to each other when they stand across the net on Saturday evening. Like Murray and Raonic in the day session, this will be their sixth encounter of 2016. Judging by the outcomes of the first five, Djokovic shouldn’t mind the repetition; like Murray, he won all of those matches against his younger opponent, and dropped just one set along the way. The only time Kei managed to mount a challenge was in Rome, when Djokovic got off to a strangely slow start before catching him at the finish line, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5). Otherwise, Djokovic has thoroughly neutralized Nishikori’s baseline attack and left him scratching his head at his own subpar play.

Will it be any different in their final match of 2016? I doubt it. Djokovic came to London under a cloud, but he has gradually cleared the air over the course of the week. He turned around a bad start against Dominic Thiem, and then found his way past Milos Raonic in two tights sets, at least one of which he probably should have lost. By his third match, against David Goffin on Thursday, Djokovic had visibly relaxed and was in easy control of the rallies. There may have been a reason to believe that Nishikori could score an upset over Djokovic last weekend, but there’s much less reason to think so now. The four-time defending champ hasn’t lost a semifinal match at the World Tour Finals in six years. Now, after stumbling through the second half of the season, he’s just two matches away from putting it behind him and finishing No. 1.

Winner: Djokovic