Roger Federer has paid tribute to Novak Djokovic after being edged out by his rival in the final of the ATP World Tour Finals in London.
Djokovic avenged the defeat he suffered in the round robin stage by claiming a 6-3 6-4 victory to secure a fourth successive and fifth overall win at the season-ending tournament.
Federer struggled to trouble the world number one for much of the contest, and he admits that the Serbian deserved his success at the end of such an impressive campaign.
"It is never fun on the not winning side, it is better than not playing at all like last year," the 34-year-old, who was forced to pull out of last year's final with an injury, revealed at the post-game presentation.
"This week was great, there were some crazy points tonight, but like plenty of times this year Novak deserved it."
Djokovic is the first player to win the ATP World Tour Finals in four successive years.
Callum Mulvihill
