London: Federer and Djokovic are the top seeds in London and are hoping to finish their respective seasons with a final piece of silverware. The O2 Arena has played host to the ATP Finals since 2009 but their contract is due to expire in 2020. Over 40 cities are said to have expressed an opinion to stage the prestigious event thereafter.
But Federer does not see why the tournament should be taken away from London. “I donāt know what the options are. Itās important to look at other options,” Federer said. “But if the O2 is happy and the crowd keep flocking here, then itās a good deal. Why not stay here? I donāt see thereās a reason to change, unless someone else really wants it badly and would support the tour in a big way. But itās been great here, Iāve enjoyed playing here. Itās been a good place to play and showcase our talents. Iām curious to find out what will happen.”
However, Djokovic thinks the competition could benefit from touring around the world.
I donāt want it to move from London, I just feel like the concept of this event should be the one that travels, he said.
“This is the biggest event the ATP owns and you have the best eight players in the world in a unique format of the round robin system so you see at least a certain player three times in a week playing and I just feel this is a great leverage and opportunity to promote tennis all around the world.I understand that you canāt keep a tournament for one year or two years but three or four years and then move it around, and I just feel like 10 years in one place is a bit too much. Not because of London or because of anything to do with this event, itās a great success here. Iāve personally had phenomenal success here so I should be the last one talking about moving it anywhere because I enjoy it but I think as a general idea of this event, it should be moving around.”