Rafael Nadal continued his winning record at the ATP Finals with a marathon 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4, win over David Ferrer at the O2 Arena.
Nadal has already secured his place in the last four after defeating Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray in straight sets. Murray was the highest ranked player that the world No.5 has beaten since the 2014 French Open. The upturn in his form is a relief for Nadal after his troublesome season. Currently the 14-time Grand Slam champion has 19 losses this season, which is the most in his 14-year career.
The encounter was the 30th meeting between the two Spanish tennis greats. It was the recently rejuvenated Nadal, who started the match the most impressive by producing a cross court backhand to earn two break points in the first game of the match. He was awarded the immediate break after a shot from Ferrer went directly into the net. The electrifying start by Nadal appeared too much for his 33-year-old opponent to contend with. A masterful drop shot at the next allowed the 9-time French Open champion to swiftly extend his early lead to 3-0, placing Ferrer in a tough dilemma.
Despite the impressive start by Nadal, it was abruptly eroded by an epic comeback by his older rival. Nadal was only able to get two points in two of his service games as he was moved around the court by some aggressive play coming from Ferrer’s racket. The epic comeback resulted in the world No.7 moving to a game away from taking the opening set but it wasn’t to be. After losing his two previous service games, Nadal ended his game drought with the help of a Ferrer unforced error to move to level at 5-5. The hard work invested by Ferrer into the set was then squandered after back-to-back unforced errors allowed Nadal to break for the chance to serve for the set. Faced with the chance to lead the match with his first set point, the world No.5 was unable to convert as Ferrer nudged his way back by converting his 5th break-point in the game to force a tiebreaker.
The tiebreaker was an error-stricken performance from Nadal against an increasingly confident Ferrer. Two consecutive unforced errors from Nadal gave the 33-year-old four set points in which he only required one to take the tiebreaker, leading to a mighty cheer from Ferrer’s camp and well as his fans.
After the roller-coaster opening set which consisted of six breaks of service, proceedings settled down going into the second set with each player holding their serve. Ferrer continued applying the pressure, but it was Nadal who struck first. The Spanish No.1 had a golden opportunity to lead 4-2 after battling to a breakpoint before it was saved with a stunning shot from Ferrer. There was better fortune for Nadal in the eighth game when he produced a blistering return to break for a 5-3 lead, reviving his chances of finishing the Ilie Nastase Group undefeated. The task of serving the set out was easy for the 5th seed as he took it to love.
Nadal has recovered from a set down to defeat Ferrer on three previous occasions with the most recent occurring at the 2013 Madrid Masters. It was the tenth time that a match between the two players have gone to three sets (excluding grand slam events). The decider got underway with a marathon service game that consisted of seven deuces. Nadal had five chances to break for the early lead, but he was unable to see it off as Ferrer battled to successfully hold his serve after 14 minutes. After two hours on the court both men were still moving around freely without any issue, demonstrating how physically fit tennis players are.
Savour this exquisite lob from the racquet of @DavidFerrer87 #finalshowdown https://t.co/kRsZ9udpkC https://t.co/dmh5t2dK3B
— TennisTV (@TennisTV) November 20, 2015
As the marathon clash approached the final stages, neither player could still grab a crucial break to edge nearer to the win. At 4-4 every point counted and both players knew it. The elevation of pressure was significantly intensified when a shot into the net from Ferrer resulted in Nadal having a double chance to break and serve for the match. Despite Ferrer’s best efforts, a signature shot down the line from the world No.5 confirmed the break and gave him the chance to serve the match out. Surging to 40-15, Nadal finally took the match with a backhand slice at the net, prompting a massive smile from the 5th seed.
The win is the 24th time that Nadal has beaten his Davis Cup team mate since 2005. The 29-year-old will now go into the semifinals with a 100% winning record after his trio of victories this week. Meanwhile Ferrer will exit the tournament with no wins. The last time he won a match at the tournament was in 2012 against Janko Tipsarevic.
Awaiting Nadal in the semifinals will be world No.1 Novak Djokovic. The world No.5 currently leads the head-to-head 23-22.
