Day 2: Nadal v Ferrer Tennis: World Tour Finals

noise, was it? Just forgetting which continent he is in! With that

gracias. It's quite an honour for the umpires

to be selected for these season ending Championships as well.

It's a very fine attack he set up there to the Nadal forehand. It was

a miss but a good one and he was doing the right thing. 25 times they

have played, 20 times Nadal has won. And there won't be many who have

ever played Nadal who would be able to say they have beat him five

times. No challenge and another break of

serve to Nadal. This match is from Group A from

yesterday opening up. Stan Wawrinka beat Tomas Berdych again. Berdych

was asked in his press conference, how come you don't have such a good

record against Wawrinka? He said, if I knew that, I wouldn't be in this

situation. There are two groups of four. Two semifinals. Two top

players will go through to those. And then a final on Monday evening.

So, Wawrinka, Berdych, Nadal. Group B, Juan Martin Del Potro, Djokovic,

Federer, Gasquet. Del Potro got the Eurostar over here but lost his

luggage. He is very upset about that. He lost a lot of things. It

happen to me at the same place. Why was on the train and had a case

stolen. -- I was. With my passport, Mike house keys, car keys, and they

found it half an hour later. Honestly what had in my bag was very

interesting! They gave it back! -- obviously what I had. Did you put it

down when you were paying the taxi? I don't know what happened. They had

my bags on the trolley and I was with my physio and fitness trainer

and one minute it was there, the next minute it was gone. What I was

very lucky, I'd got it back the next day. The Eiffel Tower, I'd put a

case down and somebody walked off with it. I've was chasing off --

after him and he gave it back. Very fine margins. Ferrer has the

right game plan. He is looking to attack the backhand and open up to

the forehand but has suddenly made a few unforced errors.

Does Ferrer looked tired to you or is he just making mistakes? Just

making mistakes at this stage but it is such a funny thing. Momentum

doesn't physically exist in sport but everybody can feel it.

That was very new age of you! A very unconventional looking hippy! Well,

just looking at what has happened in the last 15 points and Ferrer is

playing uphill. Peter Gabriel! Orient! He has been here a few

times. -- brilliant! I've played tennis with him once and

he served at the back of my net! -- my neck. Don't think he meant to. I

was nearly paralysed! You think you didn't mean it?! Perhaps I had upset

him! By saying Phil Collins was the better thing in Genesis or

something! Just a brilliant shot here from

Ferrer because Nadal's ball is deep. To hit a clean winner against Nadal,

you've got to find the corner. That showed most of the time he is

going to the Nadal backhand, which is to be expected. It is choosing

when to go to the forehand because he needs to remain unpredictable

when attacking Nadal's rate forehand. -- great.

So, the battle of the Spaniards. Rafa Nadal has been the boss. A

tremendous nation in tennis, really before that first French Open

victory for Nadal in 2005. This has been a phenomenal year and we didn't

know whether he would be able to continue but he came back in

February and has won ten titles this year. Absolutely extraordinary

performance. Ferrer coming into the French Open final hadn't lost a set

on the Tour but he lost to Nadal. That inexplicable loss to Steve

Garces, who is now ranked 30 places below where he was then, at

Wimbledon. So, 16 tournaments played, ten victories, which equates

to six losses only. He hasn't won and events since the US Open. But

close. He would love to finish on a high, big-time. He certainly would

and the number one ranking up for grabs would certainly be the icing

on the cake for Nadal. Hasn't Djokovic done well to even come

close? It looked like Nadal had it in the bag but Djokovic, as you

would expect, has responded. 17 matches unbeaten for Djokovic. Later

on, Djokovic versus Federer here at the O2. That will be a tasty match,

and this is as well. New balls for Nadal, who hasn't had it all his own

way. But he is a break of serve up. He's missed it. Oh! After a pass

like this... To miss, that is unbelievable, as Nadal was powering

to his left. -- because Nadal. Nadal just calling for the string to

take a racket away. Tough for Ferrer when he loses these

baseline exchanges, because then the tendency is to take more risks and

then you make more unforced errors. Then you start to play a little

conservative, cut the unforced errors out and Nadal makes you run

more. Oh! He does not make that! That is

ridiculous! Look at this! He is six foot out the service line, not even

in the picture... Look at that arm! Go on, then! What fun! Tony says, I

taught him that one! That was a pretty handy forehand.

How are you supposed to come in on that one? Would you have sliced and

coming on that one and used your hands at the net? I don't think

anybody would have got to that passing shot but the first time I'd

practised against Nadal was when he was 17 in Miami. Buy had heard a lot

about him but hadn't seen him play. -- I had. I've never seen anybody

hit the ball quite as hard as him, though not always in the right

direction. And I've said to my coach, how is he meant to play like

this the two hours? It was to physically demanding. As we then

played a practice set which she won in about 15 minutes at 6-1, I

thought, perhaps this will work in the future. -- he won. And it has

been incredible to see that put into practice. In Paris he was only

winning 37% and it was a big deviation from his season average.

Was he respectful on the practice court? He is fantastic. He has such

a great attitude on and off the court. He is humble and enjoys his

success, and good luck to him, because we enjoy watching it. What

does his warm up consist of now? I was talking to Carlos, whom we saw

earlier on, who is the Davis Cup captain next year for Spain, and it

really is not rocket science. He hits up and down the court but with

enormous power and intensity, and they play a lot of baseline points

from the back of the court without the serve. They hit service and then

play a few tie-breaks, which is probably over a two and a half hour

period in total, but it is this type of intensity, so he practices the

way he plays the matches. #bbctennis if you want to get in touch with us.

I have got some questions for you here. If I can get my device to

work! Matt says, why can't the tour finals stay in London? It is a

success, so why move it? That is the defence. That is just it. 17,500

people watching tennis. Pact for every session. Yes, it is wonderful.

There is a danger that if you move it, it won't be as good. It might

not lay down roots. But of course, I say that because it is in London.

I'd get on the Tube and get to watch the best in the world. I got on the

boat this morning. That isn't your own boat? The river bus.

The Tube is what you get with an Oyster card and effing, Tim.

-- everything, Tim. That's what I've heard!

Oh, yeah. That's the way to keep yourself in the game.

He has added intensity at the beginning of the second set.

You can sense the respect that Nadal has for this owe pon pent. --

opponent. Davis Cup team-mates. David Ferrer has been around, my

goodness me, he was in the final of this event when it was held in

Shanghai. He beat Djokovic, Nadal, Gasquet and Roddick. He's been

around a bit. Nadal hitting inside the court. Not too much to the line.

Average speed of 81. Average spin, that is enormous. Over 3,000 RPM is

really zipping it. Very few players hit 3,000 or above, ever, let alone

as an average. Challenge to the call on the left

base. The ball was called out. Bit of a soft error there from

Nadal. There's been so many that have just

missed the target. Nadal really has taken control of this, the first

match for both players at the World Tour Finals. It will be hard to make

it close from here. Well, it is. Looking at the stats that we've got

in front of us, 23 unforced errors from Ferrer. Fatigue? Perhaps, but

it's getting the balance right. He knows that he's got to be

aggressive. He can't just roll the ball into the middle of the court

and hope that Nadal is going to miss. At the moment, the balance of

the aggressive shots and the unforced errors is too much in

favour of the unforced errors. From Nadal's point of view, up a

set, early break in the second set, he wants to play a strong game here

to stamp his authority on the second set.

When Nadal gets his first serve in, he wins 89% of those points. With

Ferrer in the match, 26% of the first-serve points won.

Not an hour played, and it's just the one break the serve. Rafael

Nadal, the world number one, in great shape here against his

countryman and friend, David Ferrer. We welcome your questions, of

course, here at BBC Sport. Can Rafa overtake Roger and win more slams

than him? That is a question from Sam. We'll take a look at the total

amounts down there: The question: Do you expect him to

overtake Roger Federer? I don't expect him to. He certainly could

do, but to win another five, he's 26, 27 next year, he doesn't look

like losing at the French any time soon. 27 now. 27 now? That's not

old, by the way. No, it's certainly not. How many more French Opens can

he win? Two, maybe three. Do you think he can win at Wimbledon again?

He's got more chance than most, doesn't he? It's great. That's the

beauty of it. Also, it emphasises how hard this generation is. When

you think of where Djokovic is right now, Federer has won 17, Nadal 13.

Is Andy OK at the moment? Andy is doing OK to have two! He can do

more. Is he OK with his back? Yeah, he's doing well. Fingers crossed he

will come back stronger and better than before.

Andy Murray has an exhibition in the Caribbean later this month. I assume

it will be a gentle one. That's the right place to play an exhibition.

What sport is that? Water-skiing! Then he's going to go to Miami to

train. What a rivalry that was, Nadal and

Federer. It's just so obvious that he's going

to make it, if he's there, that forehand down-the-line, one of the

most improved shots of his this year.

Even when he's been off with injury, there seems to be improvement when

he comes back. It's hard to fathom there could be any improvement.

Wow! That is the blow that should win him this match.

That was the shot we first saw improve, from when he first came

out. That is now a devastating shot. He can slice with the defence on the

one hand as well. Credit to Ferrer. He's hanging in

there. Down a set and a double break. It's

what you expect from him. Top edge, bottom edge - no, just

bottom edge that one. Catching it a bit late.

Nadal keeps the hammer down. He has taken all of the break points that

he has had. He's five out of five. He's dropped serve just the once, at

the very beginning of the match. It's been Nadal every step of the

way. Some people had said this might happen. Sure enough, it looks like

being a very comfortable victory for him. Questions of fatigue for David

Ferrer, who was in the final of Paris on Sunday, having beating

Nadal in the semifinal. -- having beaten Nadal in the semifinal.

Nadal's first-serve direction. Consistent first-serve percentage, a

little bit low at 55%. He's just won the points when he's needed to in

this match. When he finished his set of winning the major championships

by winning the US Open, his serve really went up a notch. When he

first came out, you played him, he wasn't the all-rounder he is now. He

has continued to improve. Every aspect. For a lefty, when he came on

the tour, his serve was weak. It wasn't particularly quick, didn't

have much movement. But at different times, he's added a lot more

variation. He serves with a lot more pace now. It's become another weapon

in his Arsenal. First match for boning these players

-- both these players. Should Ferrer lose this match, all

is not lost. There are two groups of four. To get through to the

semifinals you have to be in the top two of the group. Ferrer will know

that victories over Berdych and Wawrinka should still take him

through. Sympathetic applause for David

Ferrer, who has been well beaten here today. You shouldn't feel too

sorry for him. He has made plenty of players' lives a misery over the

years, he's so determined! Tremendous running ability and

stamina. It could be the last throw of the

dice, but it is typical of the man. That's a well worked point. He had

to dig deep. Ferrer still in it. We had written him off too early.

Played a fantastic game, cut out the unforced errors, was aggressive. But

the reality is, up until this point, you just hasn't been able to do it

consistently enough. We talked a lot about Nadal but when did you first

see Ferrer? I assume you would have played him as well? I did. He wasn't

one of these coming up at a young age. He worked his way up onto the

main tour through the challenges and satellites. I did play him in the

Masters in Madrid in doors towards the end of the year. And I've

managed to beat him in three sets, 6-1 in the third, and in the press

conference, he said it was the worst day of his life! He honestly didn't

think I was very good! Some people, and they are immediately superstars

and everybody thinks that is what happens, that you burst onto the

scene. But with Ferrer, you have constant work. His work ethic.

Something to look up to. If you trying to break in, look to Ferrer.

This is more like the tennis we saw in Paris! That willingness to come

in, cut the ball off. And certainly to launch an attack as quickly as

possible in the rally. That's amazing! Wow! That couldn't

have been more than three inches off the ground. Magnificent hitting from

both. The first rally of the match. Up a second match point for Nadal.

And that is it! Another error, I'm afraid, for Ferrer. Not his best

today. But great satisfaction for team-mates and friends. Rafa

Nadal... In straight sets. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

You know, you's won ten tournaments this year but not one of them has

been in doors yet. I wonder if this could be his week. David Ferrer

certainly not out of this tournament yet. He will play verdict name and

Wawrinka this week. -- he will play Tomas Berdych. And win should take

through there. The only blemish on his outrageous tennis CV is that he

hasn't won the season ending Championships yet. And he would like

to do that this week. So he is in good form, having been down early in

the first set and for that well. -- and fought. And he has snatched that

losing streak in Paris. Everybody has been talking about it. Really no

particular issues in that match for Nadal. He clearly finds it difficult

to play Ferrer, who has an excellent game against him. But ultimately, he

is through. And he will be looking to the matches ahead.

Doubles taking place here as well. The Bryan brothers will play their

first match. They are the top seeds. And then Federer versus

Djokovic from the other group later on, and we will be back with more

tennis. But it has been a pleasure to see Rafa Nadal in action. Pleased

with his work and here comes the sign with the green pen.

Some of the numbers. Very impressive first serve points one for Nadal. --

points won. Just too many unforced errors for Ferrer. Break point

conversion. Last week in Paris, losing to Ferrer, he only won one

out of seven, so today was conversion on the big points. He now

needs just one match, the world number one, Tim -- to wrap up the

season. A warm welcome back from London,

Rafa. Delighted you are back because we all missed you last year. Many

thanks. I am 100% sure that I'd missed you more than you missed me!

But anyway! I am very happy to be back in London. It is one of the

best stadiums I am able to play on tour, so very, very excited, and

just want to say thank you very much to everyone. It has just been

amazing to be back here in London. Do you remember what you are doing

this exact week last year? Were you watching the tournament? Yes, at

home, trying to work as hard as I can to be here this year, so...

Well, that work paid off because you have come back as the world number

one. A very tough match it seemed on paper as the opening match but on

Saturday it proved to be a lot easier. Well, no easy wins. Number

three in the world. He is great, he has an amazing career. He was

playing much better than me last Saturday Paris. Today I think I've

played a bit better than him and that is why I was able to win the

first match, but that is just the beginning. Very happy to start with

a victory and that is important for confidence after losing in Paris.

And then play against my good friend Wawrinka. You are back on court

tomorrow. No rest? No, but the energy of this is fantastic, so

hopefully I am ready for tomorrow. You have worked very hard for this,

you are back, so well done. SUE BARKER: Great to see him back

and what an ovation from this crowd. They know their tennis and what sort

of a tennis champion he is and what an ambassador for the sport, so,

Rafa Nadal, a comfortable winner against his compatriot today.

Tomorrow, we will have one of these matches for you. Either Rafa or

Ferrer against Wawrinka or Tomas Berdych. So, that is Group A. Group

B yet to be decided because Roger Federer is playing tonight, and you

will be able to follow that on the BBC sport website. Also on Radio 5

Live. 2pm is our time on BBC Two tomorrow for one of those matches.

So, Tim and Andy have made their way here. We, we knew he was going to

come out all guns blazing but that really was an annihilation, wasn't

it? There would with Beavis predicament for Ferrer, coming from

Paris when he was in the final and looking a bit fatigued. He actually

hung on, lost his serve in the first game but broke back and got his nose

in front, but then Rafa raised his level. For Ferrer to be competitive,

they were too many unforced errors today but he gave it his best shot.

He did look tired and, understandably, because he has had a

busy end to the year. I have never seen him tired. It is so rare but

his effort is always there and that is why he got the break of serve,

but the adrenaline, not quite enough. His game plan is excellent

against Nadal and others should note it. I am sure they do. The way he

goes for the forehanders very specific so you can learn lessons

from that. He is a force of nature, Nadal. The spin rate on the ball and

the weight of it coming at you, it is just relentless. You have to

expect him to be Wawrinka or Berdych and be world number one. And it

wouldn't offend everybody, not even know that, because he has won...

Well, maybe! Novak might be seeing things a bit differently! But he has

been the man of this year in many ways. Absolutely. And watching the

forehand, you can't tell where it is going. Incredible disguise from

Nadal. Yes. He hits the ball so hard and he is able to generate so much

speed that it gives him so much margin for error because he can

clear the net by four, five feet. He can hook it crosscourt for the

backhand or right hand or take it back up the line, and for me, it is

one of the most devastating shots in the game right now. Thank you very

much. He is looking to get the title. We will be back tomorrow on

BBC Two. We will leave you with some music chosen by David Ferrer. It is

Wake Me Up.