World number one Rafael Nadal was in supreme form as he pocketed another win over Serbian Novak Djokovic to make it two wins in two matches, as he plays on to win the one major trophy missing from his cabinet.
The world number one and three engaged in fierce power play which saw the first set drag on for more than hour before Novak Djokovic lost sight in one eye, giving Nadal absolute advantage to brutally thrash the Serb in both the sets in front of 17,500 strong
crowd at the O2 Arena.
The Spaniard lost only two games in the second set to power his way to a 7-5, 6-2 win over Novak Djokovic. Novak Djokovic, who needed treatment for what he termed as an “irritation” in his right eye, ended bungling the match to the Spaniard after he was
unable to see the ball.
Rafael Nadal, despite being a complete gentleman off the court rarely showed any vestiges of that as he brutally tore down Djokovic’s game after his opponent’s misfortune. After battling through a 76 minutes first set, the world number one wrapped up the
second in less than half an hour.
Despite winning two games out of three in the group stage, the Spaniard has still not qualified for the semi-finals as the qualification involves some complex arithmetic calculations due to the tournament’s unique format rules.
All four players in the Group are still in contention for a semi-final berth including Tomas Berdych who thrashed Andy Roddick by displaying the same manic spirit that got him to the Wimbledon final earlier this year. He won 7-5, 6-3 to notch up his first
win of the tournament.
Tomas Berdych and Novak Djokovic now have a win each from their two matches while Andy Roddick remains winless and Rafael Nadal has two wins to complement his powerhouse energy levels. Novak Djokovic has however, stated that he will get his eye checked by
a doctor before the end of group stage matches on Friday.
Novak Djokovic still has chances to qualify despite being battered down by a merciless Nadal. It was a disappointing end for the evening crowd gathered at the majestic O2 Arena, as they were expecting on the edge, razor sharp entertaining performances from
the two stalwarts of Tennis.
After having expressed his sympathy for Djokovic’s misfortune, Nadal emphasised that he is not taking anything lightly. The biggest hurdle in Nadal’s way are the complexities surrounding the round robin group stage matches as despite winning two matches,
he is still not assured of a semi-final spot.
On the other hand, Andy Roddick’s defeat at the hands of Tomas Berdych also came out of nowhere. Roddick was leading the first set 5- 4 and was on set point on Berdych’s serve before the match turned on its head and Roddick was left to bite the dust. Despite
having lost two matches, the American still has some chances of qualifying for the semi-finals given that he wins his last group stage match, while others falter.
The current ATP Tours Final Championships are proving to be one of the most exciting and unpredictable tournaments ever. Roger Federer leads group B after winning his two matches that he has played so far. His next challenge and possible route to the semi-finals,
is Robin Soderling while Andy Murray will try his luck against Spain’s David Ferrer on Thursday.
The electrifying performances of the tennis players in this end of season event signifies the majestic status that it has come to hold in the hearts of fans and players alike. It still remains one of the most unpredictable events in the ATP Tour itinerary
and that is one of the major reasons to its intense popularity.
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