Rafael Nadal advances to ATP semi-finals
With a 7-6 (3), 6-1 win over Tomas Berdych on Friday, Rafael Nadal, the world’s top-ranked player, has reached the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals.
With the victory, Nadal secured Group A while simultaneously eliminating Berdych from the round-robin tournament. Nadal will now look forward to facing Andy Murray, who is currently ranked fifth.
Behind 6-5 in the match’s first set, Nadal engaged in a heated discussion with the chair umpire following a call for Berdych that he felt should have been replayed. However, Nadal was quick to dispel the argument after the match, a stance that may have been
different should the result have gone in Berdych’s favour.
“There is no argument,” Nadal said afterwards, according to the Associated Press (AP). “I am right, but it’s [a] mistake for him. But he is a great umpire and everybody [makes] a mistake.”
Following the uncharacteristic outbreak, Nadal went on to dismantle his opponent in the first set’s tiebreaker, and lost just one game in the second and final set. The win marks the eighth straight time that Nadal has defeated Berdych, and improved the Spaniard’s
record in the round-robin tourney to 3-0.
“Doesn’t change nothing, that point,” Nadal said. “I think I still playing the same level before that point and after that point.”
Nadal’s performance on the surface of the O2 Arena has improved as well, as he lost all three of his matches on the same court in last year’s tournament. Should both he and long-time rival Roger Federer continue their winning ways, they would eventually meet
in a tournament final that many would be hoping for.
“Finish the season winning all the matches in the group, three victories against top-eight players in probably the most difficult surface for me, is unbelievable now,” Nadal said. “I’m very happy how I am playing, how I improved during the tournament.”
Federer, who has already advanced to the semi-finals, will face either Andy Roddick or Novak Djokovic depending on how their match plays out. Should Roddick win that contest in two sets, he will advance to take on Federer.
Although Berdych was impressive, beating Roddick in straight sets on Wednesday, he could not contain Nadal, and specifically struggled in defending the Spaniard’s potent serve. Berdych, meanwhile, had difficulty controlling his own serve, though he balanced
it out by keeping Nadal guessing with his strong forehand game.
Still, Nadal proved to be more than the Czech could handle, as he produced 27 winners to Berdych’s 18 to seal the victory.
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