Crocked Federer hands Djokovic year-end title by default

Novak Djokovic of Serbia kisses the trophy after Roger Federer of Switzerland forfeited due to injury in the men's singles final at the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 in London, November 16, 2014. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett

LONDON (Reuters) - A mouth-watering finale to the season ended before it even began on Sunday when Roger Federer was forced to pull out through injury prior to his ATP World Tour Final showdown with world number one Novak Djokovic.

The 33-year-old Swiss, who spent two hours 48 minutes defeating compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka in a brutal semi-final the previous night, announced his decision on court as the 17,000-seat O2 Arena filled up.