:00:28. > :00:33.noise, was it? Just forgetting which continent he is in! With that
:00:34. > :00:48.gracias. It's quite an honour for the umpires
:00:49. > :01:16.to be selected for these season ending Championships as well.
:01:17. > :01:24.It's a very fine attack he set up there to the Nadal forehand. It was
:01:25. > :01:28.a miss but a good one and he was doing the right thing. 25 times they
:01:29. > :01:43.have played, 20 times Nadal has won. And there won't be many who have
:01:44. > :01:44.ever played Nadal who would be able to say they have beat him five
:01:45. > :02:05.times. No challenge and another break of
:02:06. > :02:22.serve to Nadal. This match is from Group A from
:02:23. > :02:26.yesterday opening up. Stan Wawrinka beat Tomas Berdych again. Berdych
:02:27. > :02:30.was asked in his press conference, how come you don't have such a good
:02:31. > :02:38.record against Wawrinka? He said, if I knew that, I wouldn't be in this
:02:39. > :02:46.situation. There are two groups of four. Two semifinals. Two top
:02:47. > :02:55.players will go through to those. And then a final on Monday evening.
:02:56. > :03:09.So, Wawrinka, Berdych, Nadal. Group B, Juan Martin Del Potro, Djokovic,
:03:10. > :03:13.Federer, Gasquet. Del Potro got the Eurostar over here but lost his
:03:14. > :03:18.luggage. He is very upset about that. He lost a lot of things. It
:03:19. > :03:25.happen to me at the same place. Why was on the train and had a case
:03:26. > :03:31.stolen. -- I was. With my passport, Mike house keys, car keys, and they
:03:32. > :03:36.found it half an hour later. Honestly what had in my bag was very
:03:37. > :03:43.interesting! They gave it back! -- obviously what I had. Did you put it
:03:44. > :03:49.down when you were paying the taxi? I don't know what happened. They had
:03:50. > :03:52.my bags on the trolley and I was with my physio and fitness trainer
:03:53. > :03:56.and one minute it was there, the next minute it was gone. What I was
:03:57. > :04:01.very lucky, I'd got it back the next day. The Eiffel Tower, I'd put a
:04:02. > :04:08.case down and somebody walked off with it. I've was chasing off --
:04:09. > :05:07.after him and he gave it back. Very fine margins. Ferrer has the
:05:08. > :05:11.right game plan. He is looking to attack the backhand and open up to
:05:12. > :06:31.the forehand but has suddenly made a few unforced errors.
:06:32. > :06:52.Does Ferrer looked tired to you or is he just making mistakes? Just
:06:53. > :06:57.making mistakes at this stage but it is such a funny thing. Momentum
:06:58. > :07:14.doesn't physically exist in sport but everybody can feel it.
:07:15. > :07:24.That was very new age of you! A very unconventional looking hippy! Well,
:07:25. > :07:29.just looking at what has happened in the last 15 points and Ferrer is
:07:30. > :07:34.playing uphill. Peter Gabriel! Orient! He has been here a few
:07:35. > :07:54.times. -- brilliant! I've played tennis with him once and
:07:55. > :07:59.he served at the back of my net! -- my neck. Don't think he meant to. I
:08:00. > :08:11.was nearly paralysed! You think you didn't mean it?! Perhaps I had upset
:08:12. > :08:12.him! By saying Phil Collins was the better thing in Genesis or
:08:13. > :08:36.something! Just a brilliant shot here from
:08:37. > :08:38.Ferrer because Nadal's ball is deep. To hit a clean winner against Nadal,
:08:39. > :09:15.you've got to find the corner. That showed most of the time he is
:09:16. > :09:19.going to the Nadal backhand, which is to be expected. It is choosing
:09:20. > :09:22.when to go to the forehand because he needs to remain unpredictable
:09:23. > :10:08.when attacking Nadal's rate forehand. -- great.
:10:09. > :10:16.So, the battle of the Spaniards. Rafa Nadal has been the boss. A
:10:17. > :10:24.tremendous nation in tennis, really before that first French Open
:10:25. > :10:28.victory for Nadal in 2005. This has been a phenomenal year and we didn't
:10:29. > :10:33.know whether he would be able to continue but he came back in
:10:34. > :10:37.February and has won ten titles this year. Absolutely extraordinary
:10:38. > :10:45.performance. Ferrer coming into the French Open final hadn't lost a set
:10:46. > :10:52.on the Tour but he lost to Nadal. That inexplicable loss to Steve
:10:53. > :11:03.Garces, who is now ranked 30 places below where he was then, at
:11:04. > :11:08.Wimbledon. So, 16 tournaments played, ten victories, which equates
:11:09. > :11:14.to six losses only. He hasn't won and events since the US Open. But
:11:15. > :11:18.close. He would love to finish on a high, big-time. He certainly would
:11:19. > :11:23.and the number one ranking up for grabs would certainly be the icing
:11:24. > :11:29.on the cake for Nadal. Hasn't Djokovic done well to even come
:11:30. > :11:34.close? It looked like Nadal had it in the bag but Djokovic, as you
:11:35. > :11:40.would expect, has responded. 17 matches unbeaten for Djokovic. Later
:11:41. > :11:49.on, Djokovic versus Federer here at the O2. That will be a tasty match,
:11:50. > :11:51.and this is as well. New balls for Nadal, who hasn't had it all his own
:11:52. > :12:22.way. But he is a break of serve up. He's missed it. Oh! After a pass
:12:23. > :12:25.like this... To miss, that is unbelievable, as Nadal was powering
:12:26. > :15:47.to his left. -- because Nadal. Nadal just calling for the string to
:15:48. > :16:06.take a racket away. Tough for Ferrer when he loses these
:16:07. > :16:08.baseline exchanges, because then the tendency is to take more risks and
:16:09. > :16:29.then you make more unforced errors. Then you start to play a little
:16:30. > :16:30.conservative, cut the unforced errors out and Nadal makes you run
:16:31. > :16:47.more. Oh! He does not make that! That is
:16:48. > :16:54.ridiculous! Look at this! He is six foot out the service line, not even
:16:55. > :17:04.in the picture... Look at that arm! Go on, then! What fun! Tony says, I
:17:05. > :17:28.taught him that one! That was a pretty handy forehand.
:17:29. > :17:33.How are you supposed to come in on that one? Would you have sliced and
:17:34. > :17:36.coming on that one and used your hands at the net? I don't think
:17:37. > :17:40.anybody would have got to that passing shot but the first time I'd
:17:41. > :17:49.practised against Nadal was when he was 17 in Miami. Buy had heard a lot
:17:50. > :17:53.about him but hadn't seen him play. -- I had. I've never seen anybody
:17:54. > :17:56.hit the ball quite as hard as him, though not always in the right
:17:57. > :18:02.direction. And I've said to my coach, how is he meant to play like
:18:03. > :18:08.this the two hours? It was to physically demanding. As we then
:18:09. > :18:12.played a practice set which she won in about 15 minutes at 6-1, I
:18:13. > :18:19.thought, perhaps this will work in the future. -- he won. And it has
:18:20. > :18:28.been incredible to see that put into practice. In Paris he was only
:18:29. > :18:32.winning 37% and it was a big deviation from his season average.
:18:33. > :18:38.Was he respectful on the practice court? He is fantastic. He has such
:18:39. > :18:44.a great attitude on and off the court. He is humble and enjoys his
:18:45. > :18:52.success, and good luck to him, because we enjoy watching it. What
:18:53. > :18:59.does his warm up consist of now? I was talking to Carlos, whom we saw
:19:00. > :19:03.earlier on, who is the Davis Cup captain next year for Spain, and it
:19:04. > :19:07.really is not rocket science. He hits up and down the court but with
:19:08. > :19:11.enormous power and intensity, and they play a lot of baseline points
:19:12. > :19:17.from the back of the court without the serve. They hit service and then
:19:18. > :19:22.play a few tie-breaks, which is probably over a two and a half hour
:19:23. > :19:30.period in total, but it is this type of intensity, so he practices the
:19:31. > :19:35.way he plays the matches. #bbctennis if you want to get in touch with us.
:19:36. > :19:45.I have got some questions for you here. If I can get my device to
:19:46. > :19:54.work! Matt says, why can't the tour finals stay in London? It is a
:19:55. > :20:03.success, so why move it? That is the defence. That is just it. 17,500
:20:04. > :20:08.people watching tennis. Pact for every session. Yes, it is wonderful.
:20:09. > :20:15.There is a danger that if you move it, it won't be as good. It might
:20:16. > :20:19.not lay down roots. But of course, I say that because it is in London.
:20:20. > :20:26.I'd get on the Tube and get to watch the best in the world. I got on the
:20:27. > :20:53.boat this morning. That isn't your own boat? The river bus.
:20:54. > :21:01.The Tube is what you get with an Oyster card and effing, Tim.
:21:02. > :23:12.-- everything, Tim. That's what I've heard!
:23:13. > :23:24.Oh, yeah. That's the way to keep yourself in the game.
:23:25. > :23:47.He has added intensity at the beginning of the second set.
:23:48. > :23:54.You can sense the respect that Nadal has for this owe pon pent. --
:23:55. > :24:23.opponent. Davis Cup team-mates. David Ferrer has been around, my
:24:24. > :24:30.goodness me, he was in the final of this event when it was held in
:24:31. > :24:35.Shanghai. He beat Djokovic, Nadal, Gasquet and Roddick. He's been
:24:36. > :24:41.around a bit. Nadal hitting inside the court. Not too much to the line.
:24:42. > :24:49.Average speed of 81. Average spin, that is enormous. Over 3,000 RPM is
:24:50. > :24:53.really zipping it. Very few players hit 3,000 or above, ever, let alone
:24:54. > :26:01.as an average. Challenge to the call on the left
:26:02. > :27:06.base. The ball was called out. Bit of a soft error there from
:27:07. > :28:05.Nadal. There's been so many that have just
:28:06. > :28:09.missed the target. Nadal really has taken control of this, the first
:28:10. > :28:14.match for both players at the World Tour Finals. It will be hard to make
:28:15. > :28:19.it close from here. Well, it is. Looking at the stats that we've got
:28:20. > :28:25.in front of us, 23 unforced errors from Ferrer. Fatigue? Perhaps, but
:28:26. > :28:28.it's getting the balance right. He knows that he's got to be
:28:29. > :28:31.aggressive. He can't just roll the ball into the middle of the court
:28:32. > :28:36.and hope that Nadal is going to miss. At the moment, the balance of
:28:37. > :28:37.the aggressive shots and the unforced errors is too much in
:28:38. > :30:35.favour of the unforced errors. From Nadal's point of view, up a
:30:36. > :30:39.set, early break in the second set, he wants to play a strong game here
:30:40. > :32:14.to stamp his authority on the second set.
:32:15. > :32:24.When Nadal gets his first serve in, he wins 89% of those points. With
:32:25. > :33:03.Ferrer in the match, 26% of the first-serve points won.
:33:04. > :33:10.Not an hour played, and it's just the one break the serve. Rafael
:33:11. > :33:13.Nadal, the world number one, in great shape here against his
:33:14. > :33:19.countryman and friend, David Ferrer. We welcome your questions, of
:33:20. > :33:24.course, here at BBC Sport. Can Rafa overtake Roger and win more slams
:33:25. > :33:27.than him? That is a question from Sam. We'll take a look at the total
:33:28. > :33:48.amounts down there: The question: Do you expect him to
:33:49. > :33:53.overtake Roger Federer? I don't expect him to. He certainly could
:33:54. > :33:57.do, but to win another five, he's 26, 27 next year, he doesn't look
:33:58. > :34:05.like losing at the French any time soon. 27 now. 27 now? That's not
:34:06. > :34:13.old, by the way. No, it's certainly not. How many more French Opens can
:34:14. > :34:20.he win? Two, maybe three. Do you think he can win at Wimbledon again?
:34:21. > :34:25.He's got more chance than most, doesn't he? It's great. That's the
:34:26. > :34:29.beauty of it. Also, it emphasises how hard this generation is. When
:34:30. > :34:35.you think of where Djokovic is right now, Federer has won 17, Nadal 13.
:34:36. > :34:40.Is Andy OK at the moment? Andy is doing OK to have two! He can do
:34:41. > :34:44.more. Is he OK with his back? Yeah, he's doing well. Fingers crossed he
:34:45. > :34:56.will come back stronger and better than before.
:34:57. > :35:01.Andy Murray has an exhibition in the Caribbean later this month. I assume
:35:02. > :35:07.it will be a gentle one. That's the right place to play an exhibition.
:35:08. > :35:10.What sport is that? Water-skiing! Then he's going to go to Miami to
:35:11. > :35:36.train. What a rivalry that was, Nadal and
:35:37. > :38:30.Federer. It's just so obvious that he's going
:38:31. > :38:33.to make it, if he's there, that forehand down-the-line, one of the
:38:34. > :38:53.most improved shots of his this year.
:38:54. > :39:01.Even when he's been off with injury, there seems to be improvement when
:39:02. > :39:10.he comes back. It's hard to fathom there could be any improvement.
:39:11. > :39:28.Wow! That is the blow that should win him this match.
:39:29. > :39:35.That was the shot we first saw improve, from when he first came
:39:36. > :39:37.out. That is now a devastating shot. He can slice with the defence on the
:39:38. > :42:24.one hand as well. Credit to Ferrer. He's hanging in
:42:25. > :42:28.there. Down a set and a double break. It's
:42:29. > :43:10.what you expect from him. Top edge, bottom edge - no, just
:43:11. > :44:08.bottom edge that one. Catching it a bit late.
:44:09. > :44:16.Nadal keeps the hammer down. He has taken all of the break points that
:44:17. > :44:20.he has had. He's five out of five. He's dropped serve just the once, at
:44:21. > :44:24.the very beginning of the match. It's been Nadal every step of the
:44:25. > :44:30.way. Some people had said this might happen. Sure enough, it looks like
:44:31. > :44:34.being a very comfortable victory for him. Questions of fatigue for David
:44:35. > :44:41.Ferrer, who was in the final of Paris on Sunday, having beating
:44:42. > :44:49.Nadal in the semifinal. -- having beaten Nadal in the semifinal.
:44:50. > :44:54.Nadal's first-serve direction. Consistent first-serve percentage, a
:44:55. > :45:01.little bit low at 55%. He's just won the points when he's needed to in
:45:02. > :45:06.this match. When he finished his set of winning the major championships
:45:07. > :45:09.by winning the US Open, his serve really went up a notch. When he
:45:10. > :45:14.first came out, you played him, he wasn't the all-rounder he is now. He
:45:15. > :45:19.has continued to improve. Every aspect. For a lefty, when he came on
:45:20. > :45:23.the tour, his serve was weak. It wasn't particularly quick, didn't
:45:24. > :45:27.have much movement. But at different times, he's added a lot more
:45:28. > :45:30.variation. He serves with a lot more pace now. It's become another weapon
:45:31. > :45:39.in his Arsenal. First match for boning these players
:45:40. > :45:59.-- both these players. Should Ferrer lose this match, all
:46:00. > :46:03.is not lost. There are two groups of four. To get through to the
:46:04. > :46:10.semifinals you have to be in the top two of the group. Ferrer will know
:46:11. > :46:12.that victories over Berdych and Wawrinka should still take him
:46:13. > :47:59.through. Sympathetic applause for David
:48:00. > :48:04.Ferrer, who has been well beaten here today. You shouldn't feel too
:48:05. > :48:10.sorry for him. He has made plenty of players' lives a misery over the
:48:11. > :48:12.years, he's so determined! Tremendous running ability and
:48:13. > :50:17.stamina. It could be the last throw of the
:50:18. > :51:16.dice, but it is typical of the man. That's a well worked point. He had
:51:17. > :51:40.to dig deep. Ferrer still in it. We had written him off too early.
:51:41. > :51:46.Played a fantastic game, cut out the unforced errors, was aggressive. But
:51:47. > :51:51.the reality is, up until this point, you just hasn't been able to do it
:51:52. > :51:55.consistently enough. We talked a lot about Nadal but when did you first
:51:56. > :52:02.see Ferrer? I assume you would have played him as well? I did. He wasn't
:52:03. > :52:05.one of these coming up at a young age. He worked his way up onto the
:52:06. > :52:11.main tour through the challenges and satellites. I did play him in the
:52:12. > :52:16.Masters in Madrid in doors towards the end of the year. And I've
:52:17. > :52:21.managed to beat him in three sets, 6-1 in the third, and in the press
:52:22. > :52:31.conference, he said it was the worst day of his life! He honestly didn't
:52:32. > :52:35.think I was very good! Some people, and they are immediately superstars
:52:36. > :52:42.and everybody thinks that is what happens, that you burst onto the
:52:43. > :52:47.scene. But with Ferrer, you have constant work. His work ethic.
:52:48. > :53:33.Something to look up to. If you trying to break in, look to Ferrer.
:53:34. > :53:43.This is more like the tennis we saw in Paris! That willingness to come
:53:44. > :53:44.in, cut the ball off. And certainly to launch an attack as quickly as
:53:45. > :56:24.possible in the rally. That's amazing! Wow! That couldn't
:56:25. > :56:34.have been more than three inches off the ground. Magnificent hitting from
:56:35. > :56:50.both. The first rally of the match. Up a second match point for Nadal.
:56:51. > :57:00.And that is it! Another error, I'm afraid, for Ferrer. Not his best
:57:01. > :57:10.today. But great satisfaction for team-mates and friends. Rafa
:57:11. > :57:19.Nadal... In straight sets. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
:57:20. > :57:26.You know, you's won ten tournaments this year but not one of them has
:57:27. > :57:35.been in doors yet. I wonder if this could be his week. David Ferrer
:57:36. > :57:43.certainly not out of this tournament yet. He will play verdict name and
:57:44. > :57:52.Wawrinka this week. -- he will play Tomas Berdych. And win should take
:57:53. > :57:57.through there. The only blemish on his outrageous tennis CV is that he
:57:58. > :58:01.hasn't won the season ending Championships yet. And he would like
:58:02. > :58:07.to do that this week. So he is in good form, having been down early in
:58:08. > :58:16.the first set and for that well. -- and fought. And he has snatched that
:58:17. > :58:23.losing streak in Paris. Everybody has been talking about it. Really no
:58:24. > :58:28.particular issues in that match for Nadal. He clearly finds it difficult
:58:29. > :58:35.to play Ferrer, who has an excellent game against him. But ultimately, he
:58:36. > :58:48.is through. And he will be looking to the matches ahead.
:58:49. > :58:57.Doubles taking place here as well. The Bryan brothers will play their
:58:58. > :59:05.first match. They are the top seeds. And then Federer versus
:59:06. > :59:08.Djokovic from the other group later on, and we will be back with more
:59:09. > :59:15.tennis. But it has been a pleasure to see Rafa Nadal in action. Pleased
:59:16. > :59:26.with his work and here comes the sign with the green pen.
:59:27. > :59:44.Some of the numbers. Very impressive first serve points one for Nadal. --
:59:45. > :59:49.points won. Just too many unforced errors for Ferrer. Break point
:59:50. > :59:53.conversion. Last week in Paris, losing to Ferrer, he only won one
:59:54. > :59:59.out of seven, so today was conversion on the big points. He now
:00:00. > :00:06.needs just one match, the world number one, Tim -- to wrap up the
:00:07. > :00:14.season. A warm welcome back from London,
:00:15. > :00:23.Rafa. Delighted you are back because we all missed you last year. Many
:00:24. > :00:28.thanks. I am 100% sure that I'd missed you more than you missed me!
:00:29. > :00:32.But anyway! I am very happy to be back in London. It is one of the
:00:33. > :00:37.best stadiums I am able to play on tour, so very, very excited, and
:00:38. > :00:44.just want to say thank you very much to everyone. It has just been
:00:45. > :00:49.amazing to be back here in London. Do you remember what you are doing
:00:50. > :00:54.this exact week last year? Were you watching the tournament? Yes, at
:00:55. > :00:58.home, trying to work as hard as I can to be here this year, so...
:00:59. > :01:03.Well, that work paid off because you have come back as the world number
:01:04. > :01:07.one. A very tough match it seemed on paper as the opening match but on
:01:08. > :01:16.Saturday it proved to be a lot easier. Well, no easy wins. Number
:01:17. > :01:19.three in the world. He is great, he has an amazing career. He was
:01:20. > :01:23.playing much better than me last Saturday Paris. Today I think I've
:01:24. > :01:28.played a bit better than him and that is why I was able to win the
:01:29. > :01:32.first match, but that is just the beginning. Very happy to start with
:01:33. > :01:38.a victory and that is important for confidence after losing in Paris.
:01:39. > :01:47.And then play against my good friend Wawrinka. You are back on court
:01:48. > :01:51.tomorrow. No rest? No, but the energy of this is fantastic, so
:01:52. > :01:55.hopefully I am ready for tomorrow. You have worked very hard for this,
:01:56. > :02:00.you are back, so well done. SUE BARKER: Great to see him back
:02:01. > :02:05.and what an ovation from this crowd. They know their tennis and what sort
:02:06. > :02:11.of a tennis champion he is and what an ambassador for the sport, so,
:02:12. > :02:17.Rafa Nadal, a comfortable winner against his compatriot today.
:02:18. > :02:24.Tomorrow, we will have one of these matches for you. Either Rafa or
:02:25. > :02:30.Ferrer against Wawrinka or Tomas Berdych. So, that is Group A. Group
:02:31. > :02:34.B yet to be decided because Roger Federer is playing tonight, and you
:02:35. > :02:41.will be able to follow that on the BBC sport website. Also on Radio 5
:02:42. > :02:48.Live. 2pm is our time on BBC Two tomorrow for one of those matches.
:02:49. > :02:54.So, Tim and Andy have made their way here. We, we knew he was going to
:02:55. > :02:59.come out all guns blazing but that really was an annihilation, wasn't
:03:00. > :03:03.it? There would with Beavis predicament for Ferrer, coming from
:03:04. > :03:06.Paris when he was in the final and looking a bit fatigued. He actually
:03:07. > :03:11.hung on, lost his serve in the first game but broke back and got his nose
:03:12. > :03:15.in front, but then Rafa raised his level. For Ferrer to be competitive,
:03:16. > :03:23.they were too many unforced errors today but he gave it his best shot.
:03:24. > :03:29.He did look tired and, understandably, because he has had a
:03:30. > :03:32.busy end to the year. I have never seen him tired. It is so rare but
:03:33. > :03:36.his effort is always there and that is why he got the break of serve,
:03:37. > :03:40.but the adrenaline, not quite enough. His game plan is excellent
:03:41. > :03:45.against Nadal and others should note it. I am sure they do. The way he
:03:46. > :03:52.goes for the forehanders very specific so you can learn lessons
:03:53. > :03:57.from that. He is a force of nature, Nadal. The spin rate on the ball and
:03:58. > :04:02.the weight of it coming at you, it is just relentless. You have to
:04:03. > :04:06.expect him to be Wawrinka or Berdych and be world number one. And it
:04:07. > :04:15.wouldn't offend everybody, not even know that, because he has won...
:04:16. > :04:18.Well, maybe! Novak might be seeing things a bit differently! But he has
:04:19. > :04:24.been the man of this year in many ways. Absolutely. And watching the
:04:25. > :04:30.forehand, you can't tell where it is going. Incredible disguise from
:04:31. > :04:34.Nadal. Yes. He hits the ball so hard and he is able to generate so much
:04:35. > :04:39.speed that it gives him so much margin for error because he can
:04:40. > :04:44.clear the net by four, five feet. He can hook it crosscourt for the
:04:45. > :04:48.backhand or right hand or take it back up the line, and for me, it is
:04:49. > :04:52.one of the most devastating shots in the game right now. Thank you very
:04:53. > :04:59.much. He is looking to get the title. We will be back tomorrow on
:05:00. > :05:04.BBC Two. We will leave you with some music chosen by David Ferrer. It is
:05:05. > :05:11.Wake Me Up.