Rafael Nadal secures the year-end top ranking by improving to 2-0 in London with a win over Stanislas Wawrinka on Wednesday. Tomas Berdych gets his first victory of the week at the expense of David Ferrer.
(1) Rafael Nadal d. (7) Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6(5), 7-6(6)
Nadal assured himself of a spot in the semis of the World Tour Finals with his second consecutive straight-set victory on Wednesday afternoon. The Spaniard also improved to 12-0 lifetime against Wawrinka, 26-0 in total sets, and 6-0 in tiebreakers. Wawrinka had a set point at 6-5 in the second ‘breaker, but Nadal saved it with an overhead smash and won the next two points as well.
The victory also clinches a year-end world No. 1 ranking for the third time in Nadal’s career (2008 and 2010). Wawrinka, meanwhile, is still alive with a 1-1 record heading into the last day of Group A round-robin action.
“Today, it was more important secure the No. 1 at the end of the season,” Nadal explained. “(It is) one of the best things that I have done in my career, coming back to the No. 1 after three seasons. That’s very difficult in our sport, and the good thing is after two matches now, I can really be focused only on the tournament because the year-end (ranking) is over.”
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(5) Tomas Berdych d. (3) David Ferrer 6-4, 6-4
Berdych improved to 4-7 lifetime against Ferrer and avenged a recent Paris quarterfinal loss by prevailing in one hour and 23 minutes. The Czech broke serve at 4-4 in each of the two sets and he did not face a single break point the entire way. Berdych had lost to Wawrinka on Monday, but he remained alive thanks to his victory over Ferrer. The Spaniard, meanwhile, is mathematically eliminated.
“At this kind of level, with these kind of players, it’s not easy at all,” Berdych assured. “I’m very glad my game was better. I was playing well. My game-plan was working from beginning to the end. (I was) serving really good; a lot of positive things from today.”
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Vamos Rafa!
RT @stu_fraser: “Friday schedule: Ferrer v Wawrinka in afternoon, Nadal v Berdych at night. #ATPTourFinals”
Well done Rafa!
What nefarious plan does Berdy have up his sleeve? Trying to get Rafa drunk before their RR meeting??
RT @bbctennis: “On court after his 6-4 6-4 victory @tomasberdych says he will go and buy @RafaelNadal, already a semi-finalist, another round of champagne.”
I cant bear it. I am going to miss the rest of the WTF. I have to leave tomorrow to visit a very dear friend 300km away who is critically ill .
Does anyone know what time the final is being played? I may just be able to get back in time if it is not too early in the afternoon.
#ObservingProritories
ed, hope your friend makes a quick recovery.
^^^^^I’m stupid. Just thought to check the ATP site. I will be back for the Sunday evening session. Thought the final was Sunday not Monday.
Once again about the speed of the courts in Paris and London.
—“London Court is as fast as Paris-Bercy” says Guy FORGET, director of the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGylGyQ3D4&feature=youtu.be
(English translation below the video)
Commentator : “Guy Forget, Rafael Nadal declared that the court here [London] is a bit slower than in Paris, but you declared that it’s exactly the same painting that is used in both tournaments but that the floor can be a bit different ?”
Guy FORGET : “It’s funny because I was yesterday with Javier Sanchez who made the courts in Basel, Valencia, Paris and here in London, and he said to me : listen, it’s strictly IDENTICAL, but now what happens is that when Rafa played his match against David Ferrer in Bercy, the court had been already used for 5 or 6 days, whereas when he started playing yesterday in London, the court was almost new but actually the difference is hardly noticeable, to me the fact that the court is slower is just an impression that the players have, but the court is stricly identical.”
Commentator : “The players also claim that the bounce is lower too”
Guy FORGET didn’t reply because the match was about to resume. —
Reportedly, Djoko claimed that the surface in Paris was slower than that in London while Fed said it’s vice versa.
Players have different impressions!
This proves my point that the speed of the courts is not an exact science, it’s all things to all men. Some truly believe what they think and some make it up.
Very interesting, Augusta
We also know that whenever Rafa is playing winningly the courts turn out to have been automagically slowed down by his play and wizardry.
I’m sorry to hear about your friend, ed.
(and I always feel funny calling you ‘ed’ which we know around here is short for a lady’s name, I can think of a few that start with these letters.)
No need Chloro. For much of my career I was often the only female in a male dominated environment. Being called Ed was a badge of honour!! Preferable to my family nickname which is Wina 😉
When I worked in the States and was asked my name the first question was always what do people actually call you. I’ve hardly ever been called by my full name since I was at school !
I’ve got my U/N corrupted again. Ricky, please check that my posts are not being dumped as spam.
Thanks
your last comment was posted as what!??!
My cursor skips when I’m typing onto the box containing my ID and U/N, sometimes.
oh haha, well I approved that one
haven’t seen any others
nadline@November 7, 2013 at 1:43 pm
Don’t type your user name. After you have typed your email address, click the “Name (required)” box. Your user name should appear there automatically.
^^^^ good advice
On my laptop, my U/N and email address are accessible all the time, I don’t have to select either of them and sometimes my cursor skips into the area when I’m typing. It happens whether I’m using my Windows 8 or my ipad.
If there was a way to hide them I would.
augusta,
Yes, that’s what I have done.
congrats to Rafa on clinching the year end no.1
nadlinethingstoallmen
Hilarious. Hope hubby doesn’t spot that one 😉
That’s a good one, lol!
Have a safe trip, ed. I think, your first name is the same as the first name of Holly Hunter’s character in one of my all time favorite movies ‘Raising Arizona’ by the Coen Brothers. So, I guess, I like your name a lot 🙂
Vamos Rafa! Now go win AO 2014!
How about winning the WTF first, then the AO? 🙂
Djokovic might have lost some motivation to win the whole thing! But I am not counting on it. He wants to be no. 1 so he will now try to overtake Rafa next year and what better than winning WTF whose points don’t drop off till WTF next year!
I am happy Djoko’s unreal run motivated Rafa to play so much in the fall season. This should help him to retain his no. 1 continuously next year even if he has some dips in form.
If he is healthy, and repeats his usual clay season, Nole cannot dislodge him till the summer hard court season.
Then a lot will depend in whose half Andy falls. He can really determine who will be no. 1 and maybe if his surgery is successful, he can be no. 1!
Even though I want Rafa to be no. 1 forever, I wouldn’t mind if he loses it to Andy!!!
welcome back, holdserve
AO 2014… if I get just one of my wishes, ok two of them, for Rafa’s remaining years on the circuit this would be the one. (two more RGs and at least another slam on another surface being the other wish)
Amen!!!
Holdserve, I agree with you that, knee willing, Rafa can be expected to defend most of his clay court points from 2013. He might not win Cinci again, while he might also play Miami, we’ll see. And he has a lot of potential points to win in Jan through mid-February. So I agree with you that if uninjured he will likely retain the number 1 through post Wimbledon. Ricky wrote that the roles will be reversed with Novak by March but I don’t think so. I don’t think the pressure of retaining most (not all) of the claycourt points will be a factor… when healthy most of those tournaments, even if challenging at times, are much of a question mark. I don’t expect Novak to give Rafa as hard a time on clay next year as he did in 2011. And I don’t expect Rafa to be as tired mentally / emotionally on the circuit as he was by RG 2011. After the 7 months break and after the incredible return I don’t expect him to feel emotionally burned out next year. As for RG14 I don’t expect Novak to have the same chances of a possible upset of Rafa as he had last year…last year’s circumstances were one of a kind.
You bring up Andy. It will be very interesting to see how freely and consistently he might play next year if the back surgery is very successful and he is no longer hampered by back pains… here’s hoping. If he plays more freely and consistently than ever, and that is not unlikely, he will be a force to recon with. Starting post RG14. On grass and hardcourt he can be a tough competitor for Rafa. On all courts he can be a tough competitor for Novak and everyone else.
Muzza’s return is the Joker in the pack, no? He is going to take back #3 ranking very soon. Because of Fed’s decline and Delpo’s as yet to materialise greatness, the third seed’s placement in any draw is going to be very, very interesting. If fate smiles on Rafa and Muzza keeps falling into Novak’s side of the draw after the Clay season then Rafa will have an excellent chance at another YE#1 next year, and yes, even the unthinkable: a calendar Slam.
First things first, WTF2013………………
are _NOT_ much of a question mark.
ritb,
I am not superstitious and do not believe in jinxing, anti-jinxing nor even in anti-anti-jinxing :-). I guess neither are you. A calendar slam? At his age? Not impossible…. but our dear friend plays with pain. And there are a number of players that on their day could defeat him at the other three slams in 14. Again, if Rafa remains free of any significant injuries and down-times throughout 2014 I will be very happy. And he will bring home lots of results. I really wonder how many years there are left, and whether there will come a time when another extended break will be all that can be done do recover from serious injury. In any case, a calendar slam? Boy, you dream big! And should it come to pass then I will start to read other blogs, esp fedfanatics’ ones because the number of invisible clothes seen on the emperor’s back will have increased greatly ;-).
@chloro, I really think, of all the guys on Tour, Rafa is the one with the best chance of snagging a calendar Slam. All he has to do is be more judicious with his calendar. I do not think we are going to see the mad swing Rafa had to go through post USO 2013, he rightly saw that Novak was going to go on a tear and thus needed to play to secure that YE#1.
I expect Rafa to be more juducious with his schedule next year, pick his tournaments and prioritise the Slams.
What has been coming to my mind for a while, though, is a Rafa slam. The tough assignment there is to get the second career slam first a few weeks from now. And then get past the Del Potros, Novaks and Andys on the grass slam.
Rafa has cut his hand today..index finge on left hand..what the hell..
any reports?
^^Nothing serious, did not need stitches.
Did he practise after that?
Full transcript of Rafa’s interview on Nov 6th:
http://rafaelnadalfans.com/2013/11/07/an-interview-with-rafael-nadal-london-november-6-2013/#more-13032
Rafa felt after the US Open that he deserved to become world No.1.
I try not to think too far ahead with Rafa. I just want him to stay healthy, above all else. Is that is the case, then all things are possible. I would love to see him finally win the WTF. That would be a great way to cap what has been an unbelievable season.
I really do want him to win the 2014 AO. For one thing, he would gain a lot more points and that might take a little pressure off him as he defends all that he won this year. He has a chance to gain at the AO and Wimbledon. I think the extra week between RG and Wimbledon, will be helpful to Rafa.
We don’t know how long Rafa can keep this up. But hopefully his knee issues will be under control and he can play without pain.
I remember what Twinge kept saying on TT about Rafa being done, washed up, finished. I wish he was here so that I could rub all that Rafa has done in his face! That goes for chr18, too. But he would most likely have disappeared with Rafa’s success. That’s what they always did.
This has been really a dream come true! The best part has been sharing it with all of the great Rafa fans in our new home! 🙂
I had not thought of twinge for a while. He used to say that Rafa is boring and claycourt tournaments are boring. He didn’t seem to like Rafa’s unbelievable come-back last claycourt season and his Cinci hardcourt title so early in that come-back.
What would he have written about Rafa’s current hardcourt season? Perhaps: the most boring hardcourt season in the midst of the most boring come-back story :-).
I basically stopped trying to even have a conversation about Rafa with him. It’s not like I was going to change his mind. But Rafa has shown everyone just how wrong it was to write him off or say that his time is done.
Twinge said that it was the era of Djoker and Murray. As a Murray fan, I got why he would want Rafa’s time to be over but never agreed. I knew that Rafa had more to do in this sport. And he’s not done yet!
I think you read Twinge wrongly. He bark was worse than his bite, He liked ruffling feathers and by his own admission was prone to going over the top – particularly after a drink or two. He is a long term Andy fan (Deucy will confirm that takes its toll) and his sarcasm was in direct proportion to how well or badly Andy was faring. He could be very, very funny when he was on form.
Ed, you might have read the couple of comments Twinge and I exchange in the final days of TT, making up and all. Just before he had mention, not to me in particular, that his more biting comments had bee written under the influence of alcohol and pain medication. I didn’t find out what type of severe pain he suffers. I had no idea until then about the drink or the pills. Made me immediately reconsider some of my views of his comments. Still, he could have given me at least one hint when we started to lock horns. Especially when I openly objected at his threats to skin me alive and other charming messages. I wondered, when he made those threats, whether they were to be taken as just strong humor, but there was something more to them it seemed to me, the way his reactions were personal in the way they get when someone has really taken something personal. They were very biting. Which is why I started to feel he was a real bully and might have been one as a youth, and wrote as much. That was another opportunity for him to just give me at least one hint as to the state of mind he was in, regardless of anything at TT, when he was writing his ‘softer’ notes. Perhaps he was too stubborn or just enjoyed getting my goat. i forgave nearly all of this in heartbeat in those last days of TT when I learned about the physical pain etc. Still, those extreme comments were in my mind more violent than those innane and lame comments of the rabid commenters on TT, no matter how hard the latter tried to get a rise out of some of the rafans there.
In the end I think you’ll say, Ed, that I failed to realize from the start that I should take everything twinge wrote as various forms of humous, sarcasm in particular. And I did, nearly all of it. I just was not sure about the aggressive and bullying tone behind some if it. I still suspect that besides and entirely independent of his chronic pain he might also be carrying a lot of anger, and in the cocktail mix of Andy/Rafa + pain + pain medication + alcohol that anger came through unchecked in the midst of the sarcasm. The sarcasm, I agree, was consistently the best I’ve read on TT.
Like you @chloro, I had a particularly nasty exchange with @Twinge but “luckily” I realised during the exchange that he was not to be taken seriously at that point, it was just too extreme. I took the opposite path to his biliousness and it worked. The following day publicly apologised to me, I accepted his apology and were friends ever since, biting sarcasm and all…………..
Ah Twinge where are you? Pl come back. All is forgiven, Mom seriously ill, Dad sorry, everyone else in tears.
holdserve@November 8, 2013 at 3:09 pm
I got a headache from his/her angriness.