Novak Djokovic asks Roger Federer question in post-Alexander Zverev press conference

Federer skipped practice today ahead of his crunch tie with Kevin Anderson on Thursday.

The Swiss star lost his opening ATP Finals match to Nishikori and opted against training to try and clear his head.

And the tactic worked perfectly as he eased past Dominic Thiem in his second rubber yesterday.

Because of how beneficial the rest was, Federer has decided not to practice for the rest of the week.

Djokovic was asked if he may do the same, especially after he took a break halfway through the season to climb Mont Sainte-Victoire in the south of France with his wife, Jelena.

“Did Roger go the mountains yesterday (smiling)?” Djokovic asked.

“No, I’m kidding (laughter).

“Of course, look, Roger knows his body best. He has so many years behind him, so he knows exactly what he needs at the certain moment.

“Sometimes less is more. I couldn’t agree with that more.

“I mean, in my career, I’ve made similar moves in the middle of the tournament, and it works well.

“Sometimes you just need to get away, kind of disconnect to connect better. That’s kind of a philosophy.”

It is still all to play for in Federer’s group and he will likely have to beat Anderson, who has won both of his matches so far, to progress to the semi-finals.

But he will do so without any practice minutes under his belt.

“I will do the same again tomorrow because it worked,” Federer said.

“Important was not about my forehand or my backhand or my serve or anything. I guess it was my head. For that sometimes you need a break.

“I’ve been playing a lot of tennis the last two months. That’s why yesterday – sorry, I saw the Nishikori match on the way back to the hotel.

“A good, long trip. That was positive. Had a lot of time to talk.

“We came to the conclusions, or the coaches thought, take it easy, enjoy the day with your family, and come out happy on I don’t even know what day of the week it is today.

“Again, when you play Thiem, that’s what we care about, the head, not the shots.”