Rafael Nadal set to take on Andy Murray
Group A winner and world number one, Rafael Nadal is scheduled to take on Andy Murray for a spot in the finals of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London on
Saturday November 27.
Rafael Nadal finished atop group A with an undefeated 3-0 record. He wrapped up the round-robin stage with a straight-sets victory over Tomas Berdych on Friday
November 26, winning 7-6 (3), 6-1.
Should Nadal defeat Murray on Saturday November 27, there is a possibility that he would face his arch-rival Roger Federer for the title on Sunday November 28.
With both players finishing the round-robin stage with a perfect record, it appears that a Federer-Nadal final on Sunday November 28 is a likely possibility. Last year Nadal entered the year-end tournament tired from a gruelling 2009 season, and as a result
lost all three of his round robin matches, failing to advance out of the group stage.
This year, Nadal looks to be in good shape ahead of his semi-final match against Murray and is favoured to win.
"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."
Murray earned his spot in the semi-finals on Thursday November 25, with an impressive straight-sets victory over David Ferrer winning 6-2, 6-2. Murray finished
behind Federer in Group B with a 2-1 record.
Murray opined, "It was a good match tonight - I played well, returned well. To win against someone as tough as David with that scoreline, I must have played well.
Murray, pleased with his win over David Ferrer, looked ahead to his semi-final match up, adding, "Last year was tough for me but this year I've won two matches
against very good players. I'm glad I got through to the semis."
However, Murray will be going into the match on Saturday November 27 as the underdog, but crowd favourite in London. Nadal will be a formidable opponent for Murray.
He was undefeated in his round robin and carries with him a 8-4 head-to-head record against Murray. Although, Murray won their last match in straight-sets 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Toronto this August, a tournament Murray
went on to win.
Nadal is looking to win his first year-end title, a fitting way to cap off a spectacular season which saw him win Roland Garros, Wimbledon and, for the first time
in his career, the U.S. Open. While Murray did well to dominate Ferrer to earn his berth in the semi-finals, he will need to play his very best tennis on Saturday November 27 to stand a chance of defeating Nadal. Expect Murray to give it his all on the court,
not wanting to disappoint his home crowd in London.
Both Nadal and Murray have had a strong 2010 season and will be looking to finish on a high note. If nothing else, the semi-final set for Saturday November 27 will
be an exciting match to watch.
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