Wimbledon.com looks back at the second day of action from the ATP World Tour Finals 2015 at the O2 Arena in London..
Murray on the march
There have been questions raised whether Andy Murray would be 100 per cent committed to his efforts at the ATP World Tour Finals.
The Scot is set to lead Great Britain to face Belgium in the Davis Cup Final, which begins just five days after the O2 final and furthermore, the contest is on the red clay.
Murray is adamant that the showpiece in Ghent will not deter his chances in London.
“If I didn't play here, I would have gone three weeks or something without playing a match before the Davis Cup Final. Obviously it's a different surface here, but playing matches against the best players in the world is also fantastic preparation,” added the Scot, who has adapted his schedule to practice on clay and indoors.
Last season Murray played six weeks in a row to reach the Tour Finals but feels much fresher this time round after extending time away from the court.
“I've totally changed my the way I've trained over the last two months, since our last Davis Cup tie, to make sure I am fresh for this part of the season, which hasn't always been the case,” continued the world No.2.
“I've only played two tournaments in the last six or seven weeks, I feel good just now. Hopefully I can perform well here and in Belgium. I believe that I've given myself the best chance to do that.”
Murray began his multi-tasking efforts in London on Monday and demonstrated a fierce purpose in his opening group match against David Ferrer, regularly shouting ‘come on’, chasing down every ball with vigour and fist pumping towards his team.
The 28-year-old was the favourite heading into the clash, 11-6 up on the head-to-head, and eventually held an opening five-minute game to kick-start his title quest.
The British No.1 drew gasps from the crowd with his retrieval skills as Ferrer attempted to keep Murray off balance.
The dogged Spaniard staved off a break point to remain on par but Murray intensified the pressure with two blistering cross court forehands on the run to earn 15-40 at 4-3, but the 2007 finalist stood firm.
Murray whipped a delightful backhand pass down the line on course for 5-4 whereas Ferrer continued to struggle on serve.
A double fault and wayward forehand handed Murray a sniff at the set. Another double fault clattered into the tape to seal a 6-4 opener.
An error-strewn game dissolved his momentum as Ferrer broke for 1-0 and maintained that lead until 3-2.
The world No.2 earnt two break points by pelting a cross court forehand at Ferrer’s feet and a mischievous drop shot.
Having taken his chance Murray, restored parity and aimed to capitalise again on Ferrer’s faltering serve. The Scots heavy hitting teased two errant backhands from Ferrer which saw Murray cruise to match point and the home favourite duly wrapped up his 69th victory of a stellar 2015 season.
Murray now needs just one more win at the O2 to secure the year-end No.2 ranking ahead of Roger Federer.
“You know, if you're looking for a little bit of rhythm, he's (Ferrer) also a guy who makes you hit a lot of balls. The rallies are often quite long, so you can get into a rhythm against him. So that was good,” added Murray.
“Returns were a little bit off today, especially on the second serve. And that was the one thing, that obviously the ball's coming through a little bit quicker and slightly lower than on the clay. That was the one thing I think I could have done better today.”
In top-spot pursuit
Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau could finish the season as the No.1 pair in the ATP rankings for the first time.
The Wimbledon champions now stand 45 points ahead of the Bryan twins, who lost their opener on Sunday, with the champions awarded 1,500 points in Greenwich.
In 2014 the duo lost all three matches in the round-robin stages to exit the O2 before the semi-finals but dominated seventh seeds Marcin Matkowski and Nenad Zimonjic to go 5-1 and grasped an opening break in the second set to lead 2-0.
A brief three-game run from their opponents threatened a deciding tie-break but the SW19 winners regrouped and concluded an emphatic 6-2, 6-4 victory.
The Dutchman and Romanian are thrilled to be in contention to head No.1 in the rankings but insist that is not their main focus.
"The way we prepare for our matches and our tournaments, we always try to do our best, to think about the next match, think about getting better, about trying to win titles," said Tecau. "We don't think about points so much and the rankings.
“We knew that we got this close to the Bryan brothers, but at the end of the day we want to get a first-match win here. We want to continue with a win. What comes after that comes, added Tecau.
“We're going to be extremely happy and proud if we're going to finish the year No. 1. If not, we gave everything every match. That's the way we play.
2-time runner-up @RafaelNadal overcomes #Wawrinka at #FinalShowdown. https://t.co/kle7roXwh6 #atp #tennis pic.twitter.com/FZ1MQR1Ey5
— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) November 16, 2015Wawrinka rattled
Stan Wawrinka has won three of the last four contests with rejuvenated Rafael Nadal. As near as the Paris Masters the pair duelled at Bercy, with the Swiss prevailing 7-6(8), 7-6(7), but this contest was far from even.
The starting signs were fine. Wawrinka cracked down a return winner on the first point and then whipped a now trademark backhand to skid off the line for an instant break.
That positivity soon evaporated. Wild forehands crept into the French Open champion’s game and Nadal levelled.
Playing at a rapid pace, Wawrinka seemed destined to go for broke. At 3-4 a combination of over-cooked shots with a double fault saw a furious Wawrinka surrender a break and a resolute Rafa served out a 6-3 set.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Wawrinka was sent twisting across the court over seven break points. One point was a clattering winner, the next a framed backhand up onto the scoreboards. It was erratic but the 30-year-old held on to open the second set.
Superb scrambling from Nadal culminated with the Spaniard chasing down a drop shot, lobbing his despairing opponent to prompt an exuberant mid-air celebration. Nadal rescued break points and pounced on a succession of errors from the Swiss to break for 2-1.
Spraying 35 unforced errors into Nadal’s favour, Wawrinka had no avenue back into the contest as the 2013 finalist sauntered to a 6-3, 6-2 win.
“Just everything went the wrong way. Simple,” insisted a disappointed Wawrinka.
It was a much happier Nadal who spoke afterwards, “I think I play well. I think I play a solid match. I had one bad game, the first one of the match. But then immediately I was playing well.
“I played aggressive. I played with not many mistakes. Just the thing I can do a little bit better is serving. But for the rest, all the shots worked well: backhand, forehand, good volleys, good smash, no missing the smashes today. So that's good.”
Following a turbulent start to the season, Nadal is relishing being back on form.
“In general, the dynamic is very positive. Every day for me now is an opportunity to enjoy on court, enjoy the competition, something that I missed for moments this year,” added the 14-time Grand Slam winner. “Just try my best in every single match. That's what I am doing. I am feeling myself well on court. Just enjoying.”
Next up for the Spaniard is a day-time match on Wednesday against Murray: “Well, obviously is an opportunity for me to compete against the No. 2 of the world, a player who had a great season, a fantastic player in every surface, but especially in this one he likes to play.
“I'm excited to play that match. I only take that match like an opportunity to play against him, to try to play a good match. I going to try.”
Fightback for first
The captivating match between Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo taking on French duo Pierre-Hugues with Nicolas Mahut hinged on two tie-breaks.
US Open champions Hugues and Mahut were sharp and looked set for a commanding opening fixture win at 6-3, 5-4.
Hugues served for the win but a brace of double faults let slip two match points as Melo and Dodig eyed a window back into the contest.
A tie-break was required and from 4-1 down Melo and Dodig, who are chasing the No.1 ranking too, played textbook doubles to level 4-4. A marvellous backhand return winner from the Brazilian was the catalyst for their revival.
A Dodig ace established set point and within moments the quadruple were preparing for a champions tie-break.
The Croatian flicked a backhand pass and then towering 6’8 “Girafa” Melo deflected a sublime squash shot forehand for a return winner to edge 2-0 up. The momentum had clearly swayed from the Frenchmen.
Hugues provided hope with a curling lob to keep in touch for 5-3 and Mahut contributed with crisp volleys and a deft pick-up to move 7-8. Nevertheless, like the first set, it was Melo and Dodig who held their nerve, and applied to the pressure to close out a stunning win 10-7.