Roger Federer admits the prospect of finishing the year as world number one ahead of Rafael Nadal will fuel his bid to win the ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Federer goes into the Tour Finals, beginning on Sunday at London’s O2 Arena, in pole position in the world rankings, but the Wimbledon champion knows Nadal can still snatch back top spot if the Spaniard wins the prestigious end-of-year event.

Nadal ended Federer’s reign as world number one last year before slipping back to second place after a
campaign disrupted by the knee injury that forced him to miss Wimbledon. Although the rivalry between Federer and Nadal remains friendly enough, the Swiss star is a fierce competitor who relishes his position as tennis’s pre-eminent force and he has no intention of surrendering it over the next week.

“I am aware of it (the race to finish world number one) and I would be lying if I said I was just here to
play well,” Federer said.

Federer will face Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in his opening Group A match, while British number one Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro, who beat the Swiss in September’s US Open final, are also in his group. Group B features Australian Open champion Nadal, reigning Tour Finals champion Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko and Sweden’s Robin Soderling, who was handed his place when Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick pulled out through injury earlier this week.

London is staging the Finals for the first time in the event’s 40-year history and Federer has no complaints about returning to the city which holds some of his most treasured tennis memories.