Rafael Nadal vs. David Ferrer: semi-final preview – Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2011
With the 2012 ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) season about to begin in a couple of days, the top male tennis stars are getting their legs warmed up in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. The Mubadala World Tennis Championship will feature the former world number one, Rafael Nadal of Spain, taking on his fellow compatriot, David Ferrer, in the semi-final of the $250,000 winner-takes-all tournament on Friday night.
The all-Spanish affair will be held on the indoor hard courts of the he Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex at the Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with the winner of the match getting a shot at the title in the final. Second ranked Nadal received a bye to get a direct access to the semi-final of the tournament, while Ferrer had to go through the sixth ranked Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, on the opening day. The world number five had to labour hard in his clash against the hard-hitting Tsonga and eventually prevailed over his opponent in the end.
Ferrer dropped the opening set early to get 0-1 down in the match but steadily made his way back in the second set to bring the contest on even terms. The Spaniard then rushed through the final set to conclude victory at 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, to book a date with the world number two, Nadal, in the semis of the event.
Nadal will be seen in action for the first time since Spain’s victory in the final of the Davis Cup against Argentina and will also yearn to win an exhibition tournament before he get his all guns blazing in the 2012 ATP season. He leads 13-4 over Ferrer in the head-to-head series and has won nine out of 10 last matches he had with his compatriot. Ferrer stunned Nadal in quarter-final of the Australian Open this year but the world number two avenged his defeat by dumping him in the finals of Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona.
Ferrer needs to go through Nadal before he earns shot at the $250,000 prize money. The two Spaniards have played tennis together for a number of years and are very familiar with the game play of each other. It will be very interesting to see how Spain’s two best tennis players encounter each other on Friday night and who wins the battle of supremacy over his compatriot. A close contest is expected between the two competitors but Nadal will step on the court as the clear favourite for winning the match. Ferrer’s victory over the then third ranked Andy Murray and world number one Novak Djokovic at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals last month will certainly give him a whole lot of confidence before going into the battle with Nadal.
Although Mubadala world Tennis Championship is just an exhibition event, its significance cannot be denied. The world’s top tennis professionals are taking part in it, attracting a huge number of viewers to witness the exhilarating battles between them and getting themselves ready to take off the next ATP season on a winning note.
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