LONDON—The ATP should keep a lid on the World Tour Finals, says Roger Federer.
Prior to the start of this week’s season-ending event at the O2 Arena, Rafael Nadal said one reason he has yet to win the title is because the World Tour Finals have never been conducted on clay.
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The 10-time Roland Garros champion pointed out the surface inequity in consistently staging the event on hard courts.
Asked his reaction to Nadal’s view, Federer said today “I get his point, and it’s a fair point."
Still, six-time tournament champion Federer supports the season-ending finale being staged indoors because the Rolex Paris Masters is currently the only Masters 1000 event played exclusively indoors and to maintain surface consistency throughout the fall season leading up to the World Tour Finals.
“I think it’s right and fair that it’s indoors, as well,” Federer said after his 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over Jack Sock. “There is no Masters 1000s on grass. There is one Masters 1000 indoors: Paris. So I feel like indoors also deserves its place, you know.”
This is the ninth year the tournament is played at the O2 Arena, which is the second-longest run at one venue in tournament history.
New York City’s Madison Square Garden hosted the tournament for 13 consecutive years from 1977-1989 before its six-year run in Frankfurt.
Federer said he does not oppose changing surfaces “once in a while,” but believes hosting on an indoor clay court is “a bit silly.”
“Could it be switched up to clay once in a while? Yeah, maybe,” Federer said. “Could we have more 1000s on grass? Yeah, we could have that, too. Could we have less on clay, more or hard courts? Could we have more or hard courts, less on clay?
"Yes, it's all debatable. I think it's not the time of the year for clay, so there you have it. You can do indoor clay, I guess, but that's a bit silly.”
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