• ATP World Tour Finals

Why Federer fits right in at Arsenal

Thierry Henry has been at the O2 to support Roger Federer © Getty Images

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• Profile: Roger Federer

As Roger Federer sealed top spot in Group B with victory over Mardy Fish, Arsenal legend Thierry Henry was on hand to watch the 16-time grand slam champion move a step closer to a record sixth title at the ATP World Tour Finals.

Federer, who booked his place in the semi-finals with a resounding win over Rafael Nadal on Tuesday, celebrated securing his progress with a match to spare with a trip to the Emirates Stadium.

Instead of sticking around at the O2 Arena to check out the progress of potential semi-final opponent Novak Djokovic on Wednesday, Federer headed to North London, where he was a guest of his pal Henry at Arsenal.

The Gunners followed Federer's example and booked their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, and Federer met the players in the dressing room after the match.

"It was very interesting for me," Federer said of his trip to Emirates Stadium. "I enjoyed it. Sitting next to [Thierry] was interesting. I'd ask him a question, 'Why would they play this way? ', 'Why did they do that?' or 'What does that player do well?'. He can explain all these things. He's like a manager.

"I think he enjoyed it as well to host me. He's come and watched a lot of tennis. I was able to go down on the pitch, go in the locker room, meet the players."

Federer, whose last trip to a football match in the UK was at the old Wembley Stadium, has not tasted defeat since his semi-final loss to Djokovic at the US Open, and he saw his Midas touch continue at Arsenal.

If Federer were an English football team, he would probably be Arsenal. Beautiful to watch with grace and flair by the bucket load, but more than the odd disappointing result.

The recent fortunes of Federer and Arsenal show how quickly things can change in sport. Just a few short months ago, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was facing calls for the sack after an 8-2 humiliation at the hands of rivals Manchester United and a poor start to the season which saw them claim just one point from their opening three Premier League matches.

Roger Federer is unbeaten in his last 15 matches © Getty Images

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Federer's season has not been quite as turbulent as Arsenal's but after letting a two-set lead slip from his grasp to crash out in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, the Swiss was forced to palm off talk of retirement.

It will be the first time since 2002 that Federer ends the year without a grand slam title in his possession, so he can sympathise with Gunners fans, who have seen their side fail to win a trophy since 2005.

But both have enjoyed a revival of late. Arsenal are unbeaten in their last nine matches in all competitions, including a morale-boosting win over Chelsea, while Federer is in unbeaten in his last 15 matches.

They may not be in the top four of the Premier League at present, but they are comfortably through to the Champions League last 16, while British rivals United, Chelsea and Manchester City still face a fight to qualify.

Just as three of British football's top four have been floundering in Europe, Federer's main rivals have been equally unconvincing. Andy Murray was forced to pull out of the final event of the year with a groin strain, while Rafael Nadal failed to reach the knockout stages after his defeat to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Djokovic, likewise, was well beaten by David Ferrer on Wednesday night and faces a fight to qualify for the semi-finals.

If Federer is tennis' answer to Arsenal, then Djokovic would undoubtedly be Manchester City, with the new kids on the block threatening to run away with the Premier League title, just as Djokovic ran away with the silverware for much of the season.

Continuing the analogies, if slightly tenuously, that would probably make Nadal Manchester United. Hugely impressive over recent seasons, with a solid head-to-head record against his rivals and plenty of silverware in his trophy cabinet.

By process of elimination, that would make Andy Murray the Chelsea of the tennis world. With talent in abundance but no major silverware to show for it, there is a lot of expectation on his shoulders, something Andre Villas-Boas can probably sympathise with.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.