ATP World Tour Finals 2010: Match Preview - Rafael Nadal versus Tomas Berdych
The concluding day of round robin stage takes place at the 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Friday, with all four contenders still alive and making their final efforts for semi-final spots at the elite eight man field in London.
World number one Rafael Nadal and the sixth seed Tomas Berdych will face each other in the opening singles clash of the day. The Spaniard leads the pair’s head to head series at 8-3. Berdych triumphed in three of their first four clashes, however since the
start of 2007; Rafa is 7-0 and has won their previous seven encounters in a row.
The 24-year-old Nadal improved his career record to 6-7 by getting the better of Novak Djokovic in two sets on Wednesday. The final match score was 7-5, 6-2. The Spaniard opened his account in London by overpowering his American foe, Andy Roddick in three
sets with a final score line of 3-6, 7-6, (5) 6-4. His best results so far at the prestigious event in London are two semi final appearances back in 2006 and 2007.
Currently ranked number one in the South African Airways ATP list, Nadal enters with a win loss mark of 69-9 on the season. The right hander from Mallorca led the ATP tour with a total of seven trophies out of eight final appearances in 2010. The Spaniard
has picked up at least five crowns for the last six years in a row. The Swiss native registered his name in the annals of history after completing his career Grand Slam, by winning the United States Open in New York back in September.
After a slow start to the season, the top ranked Spaniard captured his first title at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo after thrashing out Fernando Verdasco in the finals in two sets back in April. His other year highlights include title victories
in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid, French Open, Wimbledon, United States Open, Tokyo, runner up effort in Doha, semi final runs in Indian Wells, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami, Canada, Bangkok and quarter final showings in Australian Open, Queen's Club
and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati.
The Spanish superstar is recently coming off his third round exit at the Shanghai Rolex Masters in China where Rafa was eliminated by Jurgen Melzer. He has been on a mission this week and despite his not so perfect form, the top ranked player is hoping to
prove a point and showed every ounce of that determination with his three setter victory over Andy Roddick.
World number six Berdych, on the other hand, has played two matches this week in London. The Czech Republic native started off his tournament’s campaign against Novak Djokovic and lost it in two sets. The final match score was 7-5, 6-3. He next played Andy
Roddick and after breaking thrice, won it in the end.
The 25-year-old Berdych is playing at the World Tour Finals on the first occasion in his career. He is the only player in the top eight on the ATP rankings who has not won a single title in 2010. The right hander posted his best result of the season by reaching
the title battles in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami and Wimbledon. His other notable performances include semi final appearances in Brisbane, French Open and quarter final showings in San Jose, Memphis, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells, Munich,
Washington, Kuala Lumpur and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Canada.
In their most recent encounter, Rafael earned a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory in the final of Wimbledon back in July. Stats suggest that Berdych has little chance against the world number one. The Czech has not defeated the Spaniard since 2006 and therefore, it
will take something fairly special from Berdych if he is going to win.
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