"It’s one of my greatest accomplishments" - When Roger Federer clinched a record 6th title at ATP Finals

In the 2011 ATP Finals in London, Roger Federer defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 to win a record sixth title. It was the only major title the Swiss player had won that season, which was his first year without a Grand Slam victory since 2002.

Aged 30 at the time, the 20-time Grand Slam champion was in the 100th final of his illustrious career. With the win, he moved ahead of Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl on the list of Tour Finals champions, allowing him to round off a disappointing year on a high note.

The final match between Federer and Tsonga was their eighth encounter of the year. The former World No. 1 had won five of the previous seven matches between the two players, but in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, the Frenchman became the first player to win a Grand Slam match after falling behind two-sets-to-love.

The opening round-robin match between the two players at the ATP Finals saw the Swiss win 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. Since then, Tsonga had won against Rafael Nadal and Mardy Fish to advance to the semi-finals, where he defeated Tomas Berdych 6-3, 7-5.

Meanwhile, the 20-time Grand Slam champion outplayed Nadal 6-3, 6-0 in the group stages. In the semi-finals, he overcame David Ferrer 7-5, 6-3 for the 12th time in 12 clashes.

Despite the Frenchman's explosive start to the final with an ace, the former World No. 1 remained composed and easily resisted Tsonga's immense power. The Swiss quickly led by a set and a break.

When the former champion served for the match at 5-4, Tsonga persisted and broke back just in time. The 2008 Australian Open runner-up then saved a match point in the second-set tie-break to set up a decider.

Yet again, the Swiss played with the poise and confidence that only a player with a 16-game winning streak could have. At 4-3, he broke his opponent's serve, and in the following game, he held his serve to defeat him.

Federer made tennis history by becoming the only player ever to win the season-ending championships six times.

“It feels very special, indeed,” Federer said after the win. “I’ve been trying to sort of block it out for the entire tournament, the entire time I’ve been here in London. I just tried to recuperate from Basel and Paris and hopefully get through the round robin stages.

"So now it’s finally sort of reality that I’ve been able to win six [Barclays ATP] World Tour Finals," he added. "It’s an amazing feeling. I know it’s one of my greatest accomplishments.”

Novak Djokovic aiming to equal Roger Federer's record of 6 season-ending titles

Roger Federer (L) & Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, has qualified for the season finale 15 times. Between 2012 and 2015, he won four straight finals at The O2 in London. Djokovic has a 41-17 record in the prestigious competition, having missed qualification in 2017 due to an elbow injury.

The Serbian has been a dominant player in the sport for a long time, but he hasn't been able to add to the five titles, which has him tied with Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras and keeps him one shy of Roger Federer's record.

Novak Djokovic's campaign goal this year in Turin will be to equal Roger Federer's record of six ATP Finals titles.