I had a very enjoyable afternoon at the O2 and got to see Stanislas Wawrinka beat Tomas Berdych, 6-3 6-7(0) 6-3 in his first ever World Tour Finals match. I'll put together a little post with a few blurry pictures of my experiences today. All in all, that was a great first day and I really enjoyed Juan Martin del Potro's win over Richard Gasquet. In a match that had everything, it was a solid marker for the match of the tournament. It is sure to be beaten over the coming days, but this year's World Tour Finals have got off to a fine start. Can day 2 do any better?
1. David Ferrer v Rafael Nadal (Group A)
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| David Ferrer |
When I originally casted my eyes over this match-up, it wasn't one that stood out, but after their semi-final in Paris, there is certainly a new edge of intrigue around it now. David Ferrer beat Rafael Nadal, 6-3 7-5 in the Paris semi-finals, which halted a streak of 9 straight wins for Rafa over Daveed. Sure, Nadal was flat as a pancake, but I was very impressed by Ferrer's performance and his willingness to attack. He played another fine match against Novak Djokovic in the final, but lost out mentally as he wasted chances to serve both sets out before falling to a 7-5 7-5 defeat. Nadal's hard court invincibility has worn off with losses to Ferrer, Del Potro and Djokovic in the last month, but he remains a heavy favourite to qualify from this group. This should be an interesting match, but I fully anticipate that after a slow start, Nadal will turn the tables on Ferrer.
Prediction - Nadal to beat Ferrer in 3 sets
2. Novak Djokovic v Roger Federer (Group B)
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| Roger Federer |
Tuesday's night match is a cracker and I am gutted I will miss it as I am back working nights this week. Novak Djokovic will take on Roger Federer in a rematch of their Paris semi-final. This match is certainly like a London bus; we have waited all year for a Djok-Fed match and then two come along in three days. Djokovic won the title in Paris, but there is a possibility he could be tired after a punishing match with Ferrer on Sunday afternoon. Federer played one less match in Paris, but also had five matches the week before in Basel so I am not sure that will play a big part. I expect the British crowd to be extremely pro-Federer, but Djokovic has proven in the past that he can deal with that and I expect the Serb to defeat Federer once more in an entertaining rematch of last year's O2 finale.
Prediction - Djokovic to beat Federer in 2 very tight sets
I am really hoping for a Federer victory... I don't think many people expected their Paris match to go the distance, and Federer ALWAYS plays his best at the Tour Finals.... Here's to hoping!
ReplyDeleteI think most of the crowd will be hoping for a Federer victory too! I admit I didn't expect their Paris match to go to 3 sets so perhaps I have been a bit hasty to suggest 2 sets, but we shall see :-)
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