The only lower-seeded player to win his first World Tour Finals round-robin match has a chance to take control of Group Ilie Nastase when Rafael Nadal returns to action again on Wednesday. Up next for Nadal is Andy Murray.
Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal will take 1-0 World Tour Finals records with them into their 22nd career meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
The head-to-head series stands at 15-6 in favor of Nadal, but it is an even 5-5 on hard courts. It is also tied 1-1 indoors following a 2009 Rotterdam win by Murray and a 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(6) thriller at the 2010 World Tour Finals that went to Nadal. Their only previous encounter in 2015 came on the clay courts of Madrid, where the Scot rolled 6-3, 6-2 to capture the title.
Fast forward six months and Nadal is in much better form now. The fifth-ranked Spaniard recently finished runner-up in Beijing and Basel to go along with a semifinal showing in Shanghai and a quarterfinal performance in Paris. He easily maintained momentum on Monday by winning his opener at the O2 6-3, 6-2 over Stan Wawrinka.
Murray enjoyed a similarly routine day against David Ferrer, needing only eight more minutes than Nadal (1:30 to 1:22) to prevail 6-4, 6-4. The world No. 3 is now 10-3 since the U.S. Open with a semifinal appearance in Shanghai and a run to the Paris final.
Whether he likes it or not, Murray seems to be on his way to the semifinals–thus cutting down on his clay-court preparation time for the upcoming Davis Cup final between Great Britain and Belgium. But he got in a week of practice on the red stuff last week and by the looks of his opening match he is motivated to do well in London.
That, along with the low-bouncing surface, is bad news for Nadal. Look for Murray to dictate play and eventually wear down his opponent thanks in part to the indoor conditions, but both players should advance to the semis in the end.
Pick: Murray in 3
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Ricky picked Rafa over Murray in three just four days ago.
Why the change of heart Ricky?
Better late than never.
If 0 is the level that Rafa when he lost to Murray on clay (about right), and 9 is the level Rafa needs to be to beat Murray indoors in his current good form, then Rafa is about a five ATM.
Murray in two is the pick.
OOP for Wednesday:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/scores/current/barclays-atp-world-tour-finals/605/daily-schedule
I thought Murray did not look good against Ferrer…Ferry just let this one go with the first serve of small 49% and 8 DFs. Goodness! And he still managed to break Andy and make the match competitive…
I think Rafa has a strong chance. I think his body serve of last night will work well against Andy..I think Rafa’s top spin shots will not be pleasant for the Scot…he is used to flat hits and Rafa may surprise him as he did with Wawa….While Rafa’s lapses in focus may lead to him losing one set I go for Rafa in 3…
Ricky can’t explain his sudden change of heart. No doubt because I picked Murray.
Understandable.
Somehow Murray plays his best when playing Rafa. In 2010, it was he who spoilt Rafa’s chances by engaging him in a long exhausting battle. Rafa was in great form then and seemed ready to conquer all surfaces.
… except indoors against the Big 4 where he’s generally a coin toss or worse in any given match.
#NothingNew
I don’t see a clear winner here but I’d say Andy, hope I’m wrong though.
This is the one that I am struggling with the most. It’s the one match that I think Rafa could lose. I cannot see Rafa losing to Ferrer. But Murray can be tough, especially on these indoor hard courts. I don’t know that I will ever forget that 2010 semifinal with Rafa and Murray. A three hour three setter that Rafa somehow pulled off!
I just don’t know. On paper, I think it’s Murray in 3 sets. But my heart says Rafa in 3.
Reblogged this on Tennis Abides.
If Murray can get upset by Kevin Anderson in us open, then nadal can definitely upset
I dont see the relation….
I’m okay for Rafa to lose tonight as fed will top his group
I prefer Rafa to meet Fed and not Nole. So Rafa should be 2
If kei beats Fed, its not sure shot that Kei will go ahead. Isnt it on number of sets lost and games in thathat order if its a point tie.
too risky to have Nadal lose
sanju (at 3:50 am),
If two players are tied in their group, then their final standings will be determined by H2H results.
If three players are tied in their group, then their final standings will be determined by % of sets won (if they still remain tired, then by % of games won).
Given yesterday’s result,both Muzz and Rafa might look forward to lose their match today. Rafa to meet Fed, Muzza to avoid Fed
?
they would both meet Fed by losing
neither one is dominant enough right now to assume they will win their 3rd match. Have to try to win.
Yup.
Thanks @ricky for pointing out the error
Keep calm, remain focused, stay confident, be strong and fight bravely, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CUE4Db7W4AAwMRK.png:medium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN-3OvYoWFg
Of Murray’s 6 wins over Rafa I can point to 2 where Rafa was injured. Rafa retired at the AO 2010 and in Rotterdam 2009 Rafa played with an injured foot. Andy even remarked that a one legged Rafa was able to take a set off him.
It’s amazing that people only want to go back to the Madrid match which Andy won but not the FO where Rafa won 3,2 & 1. In Stan’s case against Rafa, they go all the way back to AO 2014. Normally, Ricky would dismiss the Madrid result as irrelevant for an indoor h/c tournament, but in this case he is quite happy to use it.
What happens tonight is all that matters. The rest is ‘history’. If we are going to take past victories into account then 15:6 in favour of Rafa is all we need to quote.
How many times was Murray injured when they played? Just curious.
None. Murray has never retired from a match against Rafa.
Oh so one must retire from a match to be considered injured. Got it now lolz.
Incredulous.
A two-part question:
A) (the set up) How many times did Murray not retire when injured?
B) (the trap) How many times did Rafa not retire when injured?
(Bonus points for consistency.)
I hope Rafa beats Murray today…however, it will not be the end of the world if he loses as he will avoid Novak, the scenario that I personally prefer…
I watched the game last night along with some Fed’s fans and they all said Fed would much prefer to meet either Murray or Wawa (there is still a chance for him to go through, though) than Rafa…I would love Rafa to meet Fed in the semis…so if he loses today and beats Ferrer convincingly he is set to meet Fed in the semis…
BTW, Nóle’s fans really do not care if it’s Andy or Rafa…they are however grateful that Rafa destroyed Wawa…nobody in Nole’s fan base here likes Wawa…no wonder why… 😉
my life gets so interesting…I am surrounded by Nole’s fans and the Fed fans here and there…there are however Rafans who come out when Rafa wins… the number is getting bigger in Rafa’s favor… 🙂
let’s see what Rafa will do this afternoon…in any case losing today’s match will mean nothing as I firmly expect Rafa to beat Ferry…
Vamos Rafa!
The only time I like Wawrinka is when he beats Fed but then eventually he sulks and disrespects Rafa by crying to the umpire about Rafa and then he loses my respect.
when I come to think of it, if Wawa beats Ferry today he will strongly remain in the equation for the semis…Murray will definitely try his best today to ensure another win…he is not certain to beat Wawa…
I want Rafa to beat Andy no matter what it means as regards getting to the semis. I have had enough of the British commies slagging Rafa off and bigging up Andy because of his win in Madrid. They have airbrushed every one of Rafa’s 15 wins over Murray and go on and on about the win in Madrid where Murray played a very different Rafa from the one he’ll play today.
If Rafa wins, the Andy apologists will come out with the excuse that Murray tanked because of the DC..
Luckily because I am in France TennisTV beams the international version of Eurosport which usually means Koenig and Co. for the big matches. For the moment Koenig is being relatively pro-Rafa which makes a welcome change. Knowitall is being painfull as always but he is not prone to sycophancy towards Murray. Andrew Castle and that lot are so OTT there’s nothing for it but to hit the mute button.
But I agree they all keep referencing maybe Andy has ‘other things’ on his mind. So far they haven’t started the build-up to the birth of baby Murray. Come the AO it will be their only topic of conversation.
According to Annabel Croft Rafa was missing his fhs in practice to the extent that he shook hands with his practice partner and asked U. Toni to feed him balls instead and left the court looking despondent whilst Murray is looking very confident.
I heard her say almost similar things before a MC final between Rafa/Novak – that U. Toni and Rafa seemed to be arguing during practice whilst Djokovic’s camp looked relaxed and ready and Rafa went on to win the match.
anyone who reports crap like that from practice is just looking to start a story. Trust me. Ive done it myself!
You’ve reported crap?
I hope Rafa plays fairly agressive and cuts down the rallies…he should not engage in long points with Andy…Andy is mainly a defensive player so “fair agression” seems sufficient to beat him, which means right combination of offense and defense in the way only Rafa can do…also, I hope Rafa employs that body serve which worked well against Wawa…
let’s wait and see…stay calm, dear Rafa! You have nothing to lose…
Vamos!
I totally agree. Getting into long rallies always end up being who blinks first and Andy can defend until the cows come home. Ferrer had the right tactics but his serve let him down at crucial times. This is the thing with tennis – making errors at the wrong time could cost you the match so no one knows how it’s going to pan out but I hope Rafa gets it done and quickly.
Vamos Rafa!
I am certain Muzz will not tank deliberately. It’s not in his nature. What is open to question is just how far he is prepared to go to get the win. Which is a different matter entirely. However, with Murray you never know which version will show up.
Regardless I am voting for Rafa in 2
Muzz cant because he plays Wawa next
Murray over Nadal would probably be the desired result for both players
No.
I further totally agree. Keep going with your calm, Rafa, and get it done quickly. Vamos, Rafa.
Muzz wants this match. It will clinch year end No. 2.
Besides, WTF is playing like clay this year for Andy.