The 2011 ATP World Tour Finals (also known as the 2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for sponsorship reasons) was a tennis tournament that was played at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom between 20 and 27 November 2011. The defending champion in singles was Roger Federer, while the defending champions in doubles were Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić. However, they did not defend their title together because they separated after the 2010 event. Zimonjic partnered with Michaël Llodra for the season, and Nestor partnered with Max Mirnyi. Federer successfully defended his crown, winning a record-breaking sixth title, while Nestor and Mirnyi captured the doubles title.
Finals
Singles
Roger Federer defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6–3, 6–7(6–8), 6–3 It was Federer's 4th title of the year and 70th of his career. It was his 6th win at the event, winning in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2010.
Doubles
Max Mirnyi / Daniel Nestor defeated Mariusz Fyrstenberg / Marcin Matkowski, 7–5, 6–3
Tournament
The 2011 ATP World Tour Finals took place from 20 to 27 November at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. It was the 42nd edition of the tournament (37th for doubles). The tournament was run by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and was part of the 2011 ATP World Tour. The event took place on indoor hard courts. It served as the season-ending championships for players on the ATP Tour. The eight players who qualified for the event were split into two groups of four. During this stage, players competed in a round-robin format (meaning players play against all the other players in their group). The two players with the best results in each group progressed to the semifinals, where the winners of a group faced the runners-up of the other group. This stage, however, was a knock-out stage. The doubles competition used the same format.
Points and prize money
StageSinglesDoubles1PointsUndefeated Champion$1,630,000$287,5001,500Champion$770,000$125,000500Semifinal win$380,000$30,000400Round robin per match win$120,000$22,500200Participation fee$120,0002$65,0003–Alternates$70,000$25,000– 1 Prize money for doubles was per team. 2 Pro-rated on a per-match basis: $70,000 = 1 match, $95,000 = 2 matches, $120,000 = 3 matches 3 Pro-rated on a per-match basis: $30,000 = 1 match, $50,000 = 2 matches, $65,000 = 3 matches
Qualification The top eight players (or teams) with the most countable points accumulated in Grand Slam, ATP World Tour, and Davis Cup tournaments during the year qualified for the 2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Countable points included points earned in 2011, plus points earned at the 2010 Davis Cup final and the late-season 2010 Challengers played after the 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
To qualify, a player who finished in the 2010 year-end top 30 must have competed in four Grand Slam tournaments and eight ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments during 2011. The best four ATP World Tour 500 events in 2011 and best two ATP World Tour 250 events in 2011 counted towards the ranking. All direct acceptance players at the time of the entry deadline who did not play an event receive a 0-pointer for that event. The Monte Carlo Rolex Masters 1000 became optional in 2009, but if a player chose to participate in it, its result was counted in and the fourth-best result in an ATP 500 event was ignored (the three best ATP 500 results remained). If a player did not play enough ATP 500 events and did not have an ATP 250 or Challenger appearances with a better result, the Davis Cup was counted in the 500s table (if the player entered or achieved better results). If a player did not play enough ATP 250 or Challenger events, the World Team Championship was counted in the 250s table (if the player entered or achieved better results). If a player could not be present in all required tournament classes (i.e. because of an injury), all uncounted ATP 250 or Challenger results were eligible to be included in the 18 valid tournaments. In teams rankings, Challenger points were excluded.
A player who was out of competition for 30 or more days, due to a verified injury, was not penalized. The 2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals counted as an additional 19th tournament in the ranking of its eight qualifiers at season's end, while the Davis Cup Final points counted towards the next year's race.
Qualified players
Singles #PlayersPointsToursDate Qualified113,4751715 May29,375188 June37,380172 September46,670173 September54,4802113 October63,5352310 November73,3002210 November82,9652210 November
On 14 May Novak Djokovic became the first qualifier, after reaching the finals of the Rome Masters.
Novak Djokovic began the year by winning the Australian Open, his second Grand Slam title, defeating 2010 runner-up Andy Murray, 6–4, 6–2, 6–3, in the final. In February, he successfully defended his title for the second time at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, defeating Roger Federer, 6–3, 6–3. The Serb closed the following month by clinching the "Sunshine double" (both hard-court Masters title in Indian Wells and Miami) for the first time since Roger Federer last did so in 2006. He defeated Rafael Nadal in both those finals in three sets, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, and 4–6, 6–3, 7–6, respectively. It was the first time since 1995 that Indian Wells and Miami featured the same two finalists and the top 2 ranked players. His flawless season start continued onto the clay circuit with his successful defense of the 2011 Serbia Open trophy against Feliciano López, 7–6, 6–2. Djokovic went on to win his seventh title of the year in the Madrid Masters, ending defending champion Nadal's clay dominance in straight sets. At the Rome Masters, he repeated this achievement by defeating the Spaniard, 6–4, 6–4, in their fourth consecutive Masters final. His 43-match winning streak ended in the 2011 French Open, when Roger Federer—whom he had beaten three times in 2011 and who was the last to beat him in the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals—overcame him in four sets, 6–7, 3–6, 6–3, 6–7in the semifinal. Djokovic then won his first grass title and first non-Australian Grand Slam at Wimbledon, defeating Rafael Nadal, 6–4, 6–1, 1–6, 6–3, in the final. Djokovic became the 25th world no. 1, after reaching the final of Wimbledon. In the 2011 US Open Series, Djokovic finished second, after winning the 2011 Rogers Cup over American Mardy Fish, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, and being runner-up to Andy Murray, 4–6, 0–3, after Djokovic retired due to a sore shoulder at the 2011 Western & Southern Open. He then won his third Grand Slam of the year at the 2011 US Open, after finishing runner-up twice at the Open, defeating Rafael Nadal, 6–2, 6–4, 6–7, 6–1, after defeating Roger Federer in the semifinals, coming back from two sets down and saving two match points. Djokovic also recorded the highest prize money in a single season of $11.2 million.
On 8 June after reaching the third round of the Aegon Championships, Rafael Nadal became the second to qualify.
Rafael Nadal began his season at the 2011 Qatar Open, being defeated in straight sets by defending champion Nikolay Davydenko in the semifinals. He went on to the Australian Open, where he also reached the quarterfinals, losing to compatriot David Ferrer in straight sets, which ended his chances of a "Rafa Slam". In the Indian Well-Miami Masters swing, Nadal reached the final twice, but lost both times to Novak Djokovic, both in three tight sets. Returning to the Europe for the European clay swing, Nadal headed to the 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Nadal took the championship over compatriot David Ferrer, 6–4, 7–5, his seventh consecutive Monte Carlo crown. Nadal continued his unbeaten clay streak going back to 2009 by winning the Torneo Godó. This tournament marked his 500th ATP victory, after beating Ivan Dodig in the semifinal. Nadal clinched the trophy for the sixth time, defeating David Ferrer for the second week in a row. Nadal saw his clay streak end as he lost to Djokovic again, this time in his home Masters at Madrid. He also lost to Djokovic at the Rome Masters. In the 2011 French Open, Nadal was forced to a five-set match for the first time in Roland Garros history in the opening round against John Isner, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7, 6–2, 6–4. He reached the final, where he overcame Roger Federer in four sets. This was his sixth French Open title, tying him with Björn Borg for the most French Open titles in the open era. At Wimbledon, Nadal lost his first Wimbledon match since 2007 in the final to Djokovic 4–6, 1–6, 6–1, 6–3. In the US Open Series, Nadal lost his first opening-round match since 2008 Rome, falling to Ivan Dodig, 6–1, 6–7, 6–7. At the US Open, Nadal once again fell to Djokovic in the final for the sixth time in the year.
On 2 September after defeating Robin Haase in the second round at the 2011 US Open, 6–7, 2–6, 6–2, 6–0, 6–4, Andy Murray was the third to qualify.
Andy Murray began the year by reaching his third Grand Slam final at the 2011 Australian Open, but once again fell in straight sets, 4–6, 2–6, 3–6, to Novak Djokovic. Murray lost his next three matches, but recovered in the clay season, reaching the semifinals of the 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia. He won his first title of the year at the 2011 Aegon Championships, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 3–6, 7–6, 6–4. He won his second title of the year at the 2011 Western & Southern Open, being only the second person to defeat Djokovic in the year, 6–4, 3–0 ret., after falling in his first match in the 2011 Rogers Cup. On the Asian swing, Murray made a sweep by winning three titles in three tournaments. He first won the 2011 PTT Thailand Open, defeating Donald Young, 6–2, 6–0, in 48 minutes. He then became the first person in 2011 to win both singles and doubles in the same tournament at the 2011 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships. He beat Rafael Nadal in singles 3–6, 6–2, 6–0; and partnering brother Jamie Murray he won the doubles title as well. He then completed the sweep by successfully defending his title at the 2011 Shanghai Rolex Masters, defeating David Ferrer in the final, 7–5, 6–4. At the other Grand Slams, Murray reached the semifinals of the 2011 French Open for the first time, Wimbledon, and the US Open, being the only person other than Djokovic to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slams.
On 3 September Roger Federer qualified for the World Tour Finals, after defeating Marin Čilić in the third round at the US Open, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–2, marking his tenth consecutive year in the finals.
Roger Federer began the year by winning the 2011 Qatar Open, defeating Nikolay Davydenko, 6–3, 6–3, without dropping a set in the tournament. This marks the 11th straight year that Federer won a singles title. Federer then reached the semifinals of the 2011 Australian Open, falling to Novak Djokovic, 6–7, 5–7, 4–6. He then reached his second final of the year at the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships, losing to Djokovic, 3–6, 3–6. He then reached the semifinals of Indian Wells, Miami, and Madrid. At the 2011 French Open, Federer ended Djokovic's 43-match winning streak in the semifinals, 7–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6. However, he fell in the final to Rafael Nadal in four sets, 5–7, 6–7, 7–5, 1–6. At Wimbledon, the Swiss fell to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals, 6–3, 7–6, 4–6, 4–6, 4–6. This marks the first time that Federer fell after leading two sets to love in a Grand Slam. He then fell early in Montreal and Cincinnati. At the 2011 US Open, Federer reached the semifinals, falling to Djokovic after leading two sets to love and having two match points in the fifth set, 7–6, 6–4, 3–6, 2–6, 5–7. Federer won his second title of the year at the Swiss Indoors Basel ending his 10-month title drought. He defeated Japanese wildcard Kei Nishikori, 6–1, 6–3. The following week, Federer won his first BNP Paribas Masters title in Paris after defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets, 6–1, 7–6.