Day 5: Wawrinka v Ferrer Tennis: World Tour Finals

Good afternoon and welcome to day five of the Barclays ATP World Tour

Finals. I have come here to see the fans. There is so much to entertain

the supporters who arrived early. You can watch the stars in action on

the practice court, have a go You can watch the stars in action on

muscle of the last four days is anything to go by, we are in for a

real treat. Smile, boys! You can see and feel the quality and

intensity of the match. Deadly accurate. Amazing. Magnificent

hitting from both. How does he do that? He smashed his record. --

racket. He has got it. Clenched fist from Nadal.

racket. He has got it. Clenched fist Ferrer can't get through, but Stan

can. It has been an amazing week so far, Tim. Rafa and Djokovic have

looked a standard above. Yes, they have won their two matches and got

through to the semifinals. There is a lot to play for four Inca -- for

warring cut. -- Stanislas Wawrinka. But the way he has performed in some

of the big event has been fantastic. Even in his match that he lost

against Rafa Nadal, it was two close sets where we had -- he had chances.

So I think he wants to put on a good show against Ferrer, who for me has

been looking tired. You are not missing anything behind us. We will

be slightly later with the match getting underway, because a doubles

match is in one getting underway, because a doubles

for seven weeks in a row, and while he is such a workman and such a fit

man and an example to all his professionals, he has run out of

steam this week a bit. He is playing for pride now. But to be able to

come out and provide your best this afternoon, I don't have my gases,

but he has played in Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Beijing, Paris, Stockholm

and Valencia. I don't know if you could manage his schedule better

than that. I have to question some of it. He was already going to be in

the tour final. What an amazing year he has had. Perhaps he would not

have been through if Andy Murray had not had the back operation, but he

has played fantastically well. If you look at that schedule,

has played fantastically well. If looked exhausted. But he has got

pride, and he will make this a contest because he will not want to

finish the year with a loss. He will not be a walkover, by any means. And

he has played five or six more tournaments than Rafa and Novak.

Some players just thrive on competition. Yeah, he is not someone

who can dip in and out of competition. His game style is

relentless. And he grinds down his opponents. He has done that so

successfully. To be three in the world is an incredible achievement.

He will be looking forward to some holidays after this. Let's look at

How many years have we been covering Group A as it stands at the moment.

How many years have we been covering this event? We go back a long way.

But if Stan wins and then Berdych wins, they have all got two wins. It

is not as simple as I made it sound. There are several scenarios written

down here. We will get to them some other time. Stan has got to win.

There is one other one I wanted to point out. Berdych can still win the

group. Thereby avoiding Djokovic. Did you say that already? I said it

would be Berdych and Nadal that go through. But avoiding Djokovic in

the other semifinal, because he looks immense this week, that is

good news. The his unbeaten run last night, but

only just survived a strong challenge from Del Potro. The

momentum was with the Argentine. Yet again, Djokovic's survival instincts

kicked in and he won 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. It is incredible for Djokovic, how

every time Del Potro had two break points in the third game, he just

finds a way to win. He points in the third game, he just

on court within 36 hours, and continues to deliver. For me, it is

his mental fortitude and his athletic ability, the way he is able

to keep running down walls and turning defence into offence. It

will take and believable forced to beat him. It must be horrible

playing him. You talking about Djokovic? It is so noisy here, I can

hardly hear anything. He is so difficult to attack. Coming into

Djokovic's forehand is difficult, but backhand, I just don't see

Djokovic off balance of the court service. We had to say that Agassi

would stay on the baseline and dictate. With Djokovic, we have gone

up another level. And he also still dictate. With Djokovic, we have gone

has been unbeaten since the US open, so it is captivating. He looks

polished on the outside and he is, but a real hard and man on the

inside. He is a competitor, and his ego is immense. You need it. I am

very impressed with Djokovic. We will talk later, because the LTA

have announced that they are cutting their player performance budget.

They are going to set the bar higher. The juniors watching the top

eight here, it is not about how well you hit your forehand and backhand

is, it is about the physical side. That is one of the aspects that you

can control. Whether you can hit the two-handed running backhand is not

easy, but in terms of your application, your hunger and desire,

that, you can control. application, your hunger and desire,

about the LTA. It is about the players accepting responsibility and

using the opportunities they have got. We have got the facilities and

lots of tournaments to play. Face it, when you see the biggest and

best tournaments around the world, there is plenty of money to be made.

So they have got to look at the example that has been set in Serbia

and Argentina. They don't get funding, but they find a way to

become world-class players. I accept all the points that Tim makes, but

the LTA, if they are going to take people on, have a responsibility to

give them the sort of help which will advance them . This is about

coaching and guidance. From what I hear, that is still not always going

on. You have got to have the right help in your camp. There are some

people who still need central funding, perhaps not to begin, but

to continue, because it is very expensive.

to continue, because it is very right areas. Talent identification

at a young age, from eight upwards, we want to make sure that from the

pool of athletes in schools and clubs, we get our fair share laying

tennis. That is where we don't do a good job. We lose those athletes to

lots of other sports. We have world-class athletes. You only have

to go back to our Olympic performance to know that we can

compete with the best. When we have got the best athletes, we can then

invest in them. And they do need support, because it is not cheap or

easy. But I don't want to see money being spent in areas where you do

not think you will get a return. That is a good example of how they

brought back the age limit. After 24, you will not get any funding.

And to be fair, you should be where you want to be by that age. Exactly.

But who you want to be by that age. Exactly.

for yourself! But if there is something special about somebody,

there might be a sharpness which is not easy to slot in, and you have to

work with those people. It is important that players give back 20%

of their prize money to pay back what they have been helped with. It

is time players had more incentive. There is plenty of incentive. We

have the best tournament of the world at Wimbledon. We have the

world tour finals. They have to look at that and have the hunger to

succeed. That is not to save some of them don't, but for me, too much

onus is on the LTA. Players are quick to say, I did not get this, my

coach was not with me, quick to say, I did not get this, my

have my fitness trainer. It is irrelevant. Get out there, put the

work in, compete. irrelevant. Get out there, put the

they have got involved and ruined the journey, from what I have been

told. I have nothing to do with the system. That must sees happening.

They need good advice and continuity going forward. If you have any

views, get in touch. I am sure the boys might talk about this during

commentary, but we have got a match to enjoy this afternoon. Stan

Wawrinka knows he has got to come away with a win if he is to continue

in this tournament. And he is up against one of the fittest

competitors ever on court in David Ferrer, but how much has he got left

in the tank? He has just had incredible tournaments recently. In

Paris, he had one tough match after another, and his matches are not

easy. He has to work so hard for every point.

easy. He has to work so hard for fact that Ferrer is winless so far.

It is a very big match. Here he comes, about to be introduced to the

crowd. Lovely one-handed backhand, he has, possibly the best on tour,

along with Federer. Richard Gasquet came second. It is a thing of

beauty. Can he bring it to bear against the defence of Ferrer?

Winner of four world tour titles, from Switzerland, Stanislas

Wawrinka! the fifth time, the number three

player in the world, from Spain, David Ferrer! Ladies and gentlemen,

please thank this afternoon's Barclays mascots, Ben Boddington our

other mascot, 86. So, the players are on court. It gets interesting

towards the end this tournament are on court. It gets interesting

the eight best players in the world. In the context of this match,

my Ferrer can't go through, but it is the ones who finished the year on

a high. Looking at him physically over the last few matches, he really

needs to win the first set. If he loses, I don't know whether he will

have enough energy in the tank to make comeback. I have been so

impressed with the way he has been playing. He has been serving at 140

miles an hour at times. He is one of the only guys with a single-handed

backhand who can take the ball above shoulder height against Rafa's

forehand and comeback offensively. Anyway, let's listen in. Lee dies,

you know the conditions already. Two things.

you know the conditions already. Two Start. If you are going to do the

coin toss, you may as well get a picture to take home with you. David

Ferrer, we have talked so much about him and how he has improved. He is

such a great example to other players of his age, to show he can

still improve his game. Absolutely. Success is about maximising your

potential, and when you see him, at five foot nine, he does not have the

enormous weapons of some of the other players, but in terms of his

work ethic on the way he practices, the level of play he continues to

deliver is incredible. He thoroughly deserves to be three in the world.

He has played most matches on tour this year. He fights

He has played most matches on tour did not last long. He was 17 years

of age. We were talking about young British players and funding. At the

age of 17, he spent a week on a building site and did not fancy that

much, and he came back and dedicated himself to tennis. He is older than

the dull, but Nadal has been the leader in Spain the seminary years

now. Rafa can take some credit for Ferrer's improvement to number three

in the world. And Spain continue to be very

strong. So many of them. player, because when you are beating

those types of people on clay, you go and play around the world. That

is the system Andy Murray comes from. He spent 50 days in a hotel,

no air-conditioning! Before go into the commentary box, we are hoping

Andy Murray might inspire this country just as Rafa and those

before have inspired Spanish players. Well, when Greg and Tim

came along, I said it would take more than just having two great

champions at the top of the game to get more people into the game. I

still think that is the case, although Murray is certainly an

inspiration. He has made a big firms to the numbers playing at junior

level. But to the numbers playing at junior

widespread as it could be. That could be a problem we never solve.

If that is the case, it doesn't matter how many will board and

champions we have. We have been trying to change that the decades.

Anyway, Switzerland have also been doing well. What a year this guy has

had. He was talking to Russell earlier this week about the changes

he has made and the confidence he has gained this year. When I am on

the court, I really feel I can beat the other player. I trust myself, I

trust my game. I know I can beat that player. This year, I beat

Murray twice. I beat Berdych. You are now working with the coach

Magnus Norman. Is a major part of his role working on the mental side?

I guess you can't do an enormous amount to improve

I guess you can't do an enormous good guy. I can see that he has

helped me a lot this year, and with my game a bit, too. We changed a few

things with my forehand. I am happy with the way we are together. He has

always been a really solid performer, but this year, he has

gone into a whole different league. The backhand has always been

beautiful, but the movement is still an issue. He is not the best mover

but when you reflect on where he was prior to this year, he was a very

good player and was consistently in the top 20, but the impact of Magnus

Norman is one thing. Also, the tournament he played against

Djokovic in Australia. They played five sets and he realised after

that, playing for five hours with the best in the world, he thought,

hang on, I can the best in the world, he thought,

played well in the first match. This is his debut in the season-ending

championship. He played a great match against Nadal. He has a belief

that he can go out and put in a good performance. That match against

Nadal, he had chances to win both sets. Absolutely, there were so many

times when we were watching these rallies unfold and thinking, Nadal

is not going to win this point. But he has the skill and tenacity to

find a way to hit his passing shots and get the ball back one more time.

At is why Wawrinka has played Nadal 12 times and never beaten him. We

just saw Ferrer's coach. He must be having a hard week try to motivate

his man, because he is physically exhausted. It is not a question of

motivation, it is more how he can get this

motivation, it is more how he can Wawrinka has a great opportunity to

be aggressive. If he can look to hit the backhand down the line and keep

Ferrer moving, it might be a step too far for Ferrer. If you want to

get in touch, there are many ways. You can talk about the tennis or the

LTA budgets. We are ready for this match. It is a must win match for

Wawrinka. Let's enjoy it with Tim and Andy.

Yes, Wawrinka versus Ferrer. Wawrinka has just one thing in mind.

I have got to win. Ferrer is playing for pride.

Big match tomorrow afternoon, two o'clock. Federer versus Del Potro to

decide who joins Djokovic in the semifinal. Two groups of four here.

The winners and runners-up from each group go through to the semis and

final. can't lose them in the first round

and not see them again. But for somebody like David Ferrer, even

though he has no chance of going through, he still has to play. So it

is about pride. Self-motivation is required, aided by the fact that

he's performing in front of a full house here again.

Tomas Berdych would have beat the towel in two sets -- to beat Nadal.

Tim Henman has been looking to see how likely that is. Raffa has won 15

in a row against Berdych! Including the Wimbledon final. Having beaten

David Ferrer and Djokovic, Berdych found Rafa Nadal waiting for him, he

was a bit overwhelmed that day. Madrid in 2006, and Tomas Berdych

had a couple of things to say about the crowd and their behaviour in

that match. Nadal was really cross with him, so cross he has been

munching him ever since! Back to this match, Wawrinka 's

serving has really impressed me. The speed down isn't working at the

moment, but in his previous matches, he has been serving at one inch and

40 plus. That is big. -- 140 plus. He got 144 out of his racket and

body. I little extra adrenaline in the speed gun?

It's the primary concern of all senior players, can we unblock the

speed clock, please? Didn't need to be that good, such a

good approach shot, he had the rare off the court. Robbery should have

hit a backhand volley. -- bubbly. Massive match at the start of the

year at the Australian Open, it was a fourth round match. Djokovic,

defeating Wawrinka, from six - one, 5-2, down, winning in the fifth. It

gave Wawrinka the belief, and he then has got a top-class coach

appointed. When you reflect on his coach was my career, he made number

two in the world, he was a workhorse, huge forehand, not

totally dissimilar to Wawrinka, and just that experience and that extra

bit of self belief in him has made the transformation from a top 20

player into a top-10 player. Boyle put together. Fantastic

regeneration of this entire area. This, one of the great entertainment

values in the world. -- venues. They go right up to the rafters,

wonderful setting. Legs seem to be working better than

in the first match. He seems fired up enough, Ferrer.

So nobody has made much of an impression so far against serve.

Just to round up the chat we were having with Sue Barker, about club

culture in the UK and accepting the clubs, now we have the structure

that underpins where you grew up and where I grew up as well, the point

is try to make is that they are quite small, generally speaking, and

there is no restaurant attached, generally speaking. They are vitally

important, is the bottom generally speaking. They are vitally

individual sport, it takes up a lot of space, you have to utilise spaces

where you can play tennis, but the reality is the clubs in the local

areas are vital to give kids opportunities in every area, and

when they have junior programmes, they have to be inclusive, you have

to make sure you get the numbers up. There has got to be an outreach into

the community. There is a club in Grantham which takes an inspiring

individual to make it happen. Is that something the LTA should be

looking at? I think they need to put the money back into the grassroots,

that would be great. The problem for Ferrer, when he down

the line, you don't hit a winner, you leave the whole court exposed.

He hit so hard, it caught the top of the net and flew all the way over

the baseline. Great play from Wawrinka, he is

standing little bit further back from the baseline and soaking up the

pressure, when he gets the chance to plot the right foot on his

backhand, he drives it down the line.

going to do on the forehand? Backhand is the one that will get

the job done. He doesn't want to keep going to the back and if he's

going to hit like that, that was an incredible shot, to get the spin and

the angle. He has definitely got the semifinals

on his mind. 140 mph, that is pumped! That

sounded different, that was a real crack of the frame. You don't

necessarily have two hits your spots at that speed.

served against you? Probably the made 140 's. -- made. Roddick may

be, Colin H. -- Karlovic. Was that the best serve

you received, the Roddick serve? I think the best service bubbly

Karlovic 's, but at six foot ten, he has got quite an advantage.

He thinks he's Roger! Nice idea, good service but needed a bit more

work on the half volley. Talking about their service, you

mentioned Karlovic at six foot ten, but used banned the generation going

back from there, with Ivanisevic, that was a wicked serve to receive,

there was never any read on Ivanisevic,

forget Sampras, a didn't have the fastest serve, but one of the most

accurate, definitely one of the most aggressive second serves.

Philippoussis? You never knew what he was going to serve, identity key

new half the time! McEnroe had a great serve, he had his back turned

to you when he threw the ball up, there are shots of him, it's his

whole back, he rotates the body through, which side is it going to

go? But certainly, Wawrinka, for sheer power, he is getting up there

into the big league. It's not the most fluent, the most natural of

motions, it is almost into parts, he rocks back, the ball goes up, and it

the drive from Better choice of shot from Wawrinka.

He put the volley away. That's the predicament for Ferrer,

he didn't necessarily drop the ball short, whether it's backhand or four

hands, he's going for it. -- forehands.

serving for the set. Funny little gremlins come in, it's not quite so

easy to to drive through the ball sometimes. At the way he has been

serving, no problems. It's just so hard to approach the

net. It was, but he didn't quite get the width. People used to be fine,

not these days. -- deep used to be fine.

That is fast, out wide, normally a bit slow out there.

Wawrinka, hitting hard at the moment, will translate, serving for

the first set. He knew that Ferrer was going to

make him work for this game. A couple of unforced errors. Two break

points. It's terrible when you're service

motion gets interrupted, it doesn't always get you, but the ball just

snuck past the net and the umpire may have thrown him off his rhythm,

double fault and they break may have thrown him off his rhythm,

clay-court event, Ferrer has one three events. Tomas Berdych hasn't

won any, I can't believe you can be so consistently in contention this

far into the season and not pick one up. He is playing the Masters, the

slams, the big 500 events, and as Mr Djokovic, Nadal, Murray...

The biggest problem is the lack of free facilities, we have a message

here. Courts are often locked up. I will let Tim Henman ponder that will

stop parks, another interesting area.

A buoyant ending shop. I backhand cross from Wawrinka did a dip.

It certainly did look a little bit long, but... It wasn't.

It certainly did look a little bit was playing of the sort of game he

might be able to cut right through. But he could not serve it out.

Momentum is on the Spaniard's side. Quite surprised that Wawrinka has

not requested a challenge on that. Lost a bit of composure, hasn't he?

Certainly has. This is a bit dodgy. Wawrinka is

only winning 27% of seconds of points. He needs to find that first

serve rapidly. Such an effective shot, the backhand

down the line. So many players don't move as well to their forehand as

they do to their backhand. Why? I think because they practice moving

to their left a lot more to run You can see Wawrinka 's body

language, bouncing around, trying to get moving. He wants to stamp his

authority again. We always get the old decibel count

out a winning players at Wimbledon every year. But Ferrer is giving it

a full on grunt in here. I don't think there is any possibility that

he is gaining an advantage from it. This is what he does when he is

really keyed into it. The volume goes up. He is on full grunt right

now. goes up. He is on full grunt right

first serve, but couldn't resist the penalty down the middle. But not for

a lack of at least thinking about it.

Just caught the outside edge. I don't have the Spanish, but that

call had to have affected Wawrinka. I am not sure it did. He is saying

it should be his point. I mean, they could be talking about the schedule

of the Northern mind this weekend, actually, but I think that is what

they are probably talking about. That was a brave second serve, and

it was met with strength. What a game this is. That would be a bad

miss at any stage. Ferrer did well to get the return back in play.

Wawrinka just overhit. Gutsy second serve. But you can hear

by Ferrer's reaction, he knew ye had to get that ball back in play. You

don't want to be relying on 109 mile an hour second serves down the

middle to stay in the game. Big expenditure of effort from the

Spaniard in this game, trying to get the second break in a row.

He is tough, isn't he? This is a brilliant game for him, win or lose.

He has just been focusing. Should have made that one. He has

got to get the ball back in play. If you look at the early part of this

set, the first seven games, Wawrinka was up at 75% of first serves, now

he is slipping down to 57%. Ferrer getting into a lot more rallies.

The serving level has dropped a bit from Wawrinka, but in the early

stages, he was the one getting the points. Now Ferrer is the one on the

front foot, looking to hit the backhand down the line.

He is on fire, Ferrer. He might break out of his shirt in a minute

and go green! That is just a battle of the mind,

and Ferrer has won it. Great credit to him. Wawrinka loses his serve for

a second time in a row. He must be gutted with that. Got to hand it to

Ferrer. Honestly, how many times does he hit within two or three

inches of the line? Not many times. He plays with such safety, unless he

has to. There is the lesson for young players going up. It is doing

the basics well. served for the set was his

opportunity. He made three unforced errors, and now he has got to break

Ferrer's serve to stay in this first set. Ferrer plays with such a lot of

margin. The physical work he puts in, he must absolutely adore it. To

get this fit on this strong, you have to enjoy going through the pain

barrier. At the age of 31, he has a career-high ranking. At the age of

28, Wawrinka also had a career-high ranking. Tomorrow, Federer versus

Del Potro. It is a straight play-off on BBC Two from 2pm to see who will

join Novak Djokovic in the semifinals from that particular

When Wawrinka served the set at 5-3, group. This group is

When Wawrinka served the set at 5-3, he lost the first point. When Ferrer

serves for it, he loses the first point.

The first point of every game is important.

Ferrer worked so hard. It was a 14 minute game to break serve, and 90

seconds into this game, he is down 0-40.

Amazing. That is the scoring system in tennis. Tie-break feels right.

Doesn't look like anybody is going to be able to serve for it.

Doesn't look like anybody is going nothing. I will take Stan, the two

cups of tea. All right, I get David. Go and put the kettle on, Tim! Long

way to go. Wawrinka will not be happy with the

net cord in those first two rallies. Wawrinka just cannot believe that he

has let Ferrer in. He made such good ground. He made good ground, and

Ferrer did very well to put up the defensive wall and keep himself in

the rally. Then it was a question of starting over again, and Wawrinka

made the unforced error. How did that happen? It is not

windy. He does not let negative thoughts

linger too long, this one. Wawrinka's 29th unforced error. That

is a lot. That is monstrous defence once again

from David Ferrer. It goes to the Spaniard.

Tim Henman is going to go and make me another

SUE BARKER: while Andrew enjoys a nice couple of tea, I would take you

through the qualifying procedure here.

This group, with a lot of work to do and stand, with a lot of work to do

if he is to continue in this tournament.

I am slightly disappointed with my decision-making process when I

backed Wawrinka for three tie-breaks and I have just seen his career

tie-break record. Which is? Not good!

The art to making a good bet is having all the information laid out

in front of you! Looking at the others, Rafa and Berdych have much

better records. I just happen to back the worst tie-break player in

this tournament. It's only a cup of tea! It's not going to kill you. I

don't like losing anything to you. first set. Nice to emphatically back

it up. The best tie-break record, I don't

have it in front of me... The first thing that strikes me is it is big,

and it is beyond the service line. It is an effective return a lot of

the time. Ferrer is challenging the call. The

ball was called out. I think that's too long, you can't have a chat with

the umpire and 30 seconds later, it was clearly out.

This is such an important game for Wawrinka to get into this match. He

said nothing but disappointment for the last 35 and it's all so. -- the

last 35 minutes or so. The alarm bells should be ringing

here for Wawrinka. It would be three consecutive games

that he has lost his serve. He normally makes that shot with his

eyes shut. Down a set, what is -- he has got to start cutting out these

unforced errors. Mr Wawrinka is challenging the call,

ball was called out. That ball was good, though, that was

an ace. Everybody is tired at the end of the

season. You Going back to the serve, Wawrinka

was complaining that he asked the umpire how he thought it was and the

umpire said out, then he challenged it and found it was in. Difficult

job. A magnificent strike down the line,

commended the Saint -- an important hold for Wawrinka, under pressure.

commended the Saint -- an important rate lately. Participation fee is

$142,000, good work if you can get it. And the undefeated champion?

1.93 US. Plus you get that free pass on the

river bus, coming up from the hotel. That is a seriously wound up man,

even in front of mum and dad! Very unusual for Ferrer to get like this.

He is in terrible shape now, wound up. I think it is a reflection

on how hard he has worked all year, total energy, mentally and

physically, is in the tank. When you are dealing with adversity and your

batteries are fully charged, you can deal with it better but he is

obviously fragile out there and he didn't play a good service game, to

give Wawrinka a bit of momentum early in the set and use all what he

thought of it. Let's have a look at that tries money, I was going

through it in US dollars. -- prize-money.

I think you'll find is last year 's.

Strange match, topsy-turvy. Wawrinka the strongest in the first set until

he served for it, Ferrer came back, couldn't hold, went to a break and

Wawrinka won it. He has just smashed a racket and seen opportunities to

go 2-0 up going to being 3-1 down. And that racket smash is really a

product of fatigue from David Ferrer, playing his 84th match of

And he has played seven weeks in a the year. He has other

And he has played seven weeks in a row, that is a questionable

schedule, especially for the number three in the world. It's not as

though he was in a race to qualify for this.

Some of you have learned 1500 dollars in

five money, -- prize-money, after that you will have to pay back 20%

of your prize money if you have taken funding from the LTA

beforehand, and you can pay back only as much as you have taken out

of the system in the first place. Can I move it on to say, why not set

up a scouting system like in foot all? Loads of talent at local clubs

in my area but no one to spot it. You have to spot it, the coaches

have to be out there, given the opportunity to play the games, those

other sports are our competitors, they have great scouts in football,

we have to make sure we get these athletes playing tennis.

we have to make sure we get these doubles orientated. Maybe. Clubs

need indoor facilities to play all year round, says David.

this. It's a bad error but a bad state of mind to be in when you are

trying to take on Stanislas Wawrinka.

The toys are coming out of the pram! Somebody that constantly lets off

steam and has a bit of a word here and there that's one thing, but

there is something a bit more volcanic about David Ferrer.

Just gave the drop shot a big too much air, not the cleanest forehand

Wawrinka is ever going to hit. Wawrinka, trying to make it through

to the semifinals. Two Swiss in the event for the first time, Roger

Federer will play Dell but true tomorrow afternoon at 2pm. -- Bill

Triumph. It should be a fiery match. Take your pick. One of those will

join Djokovic in the semifinals. That is the treat for tomorrow, but

this is a highly intense match. Finding someone to practice with,

says Josh, without having Finding someone to practice with,

your house? O. Dot. They do cost money. That is right. With the

combination of clubs and parks, we have really got to get the numbers

up. Clubs are perhaps a bit more expensive. That is where, if the LTA

can provide parks tennis for free, get more and more kids out there...

That is the relationship with local authorities, which is a complicated

issue, but it is looked at by the LTA.

Good call from the umpire. Are you sure? Yes.

Ferrer, can he climbed back into this set?

We have seen Ferrer smash a racket and generally lose it like you have

never seen him before. But when you are down, Tim, what techniques are

there to stay engaged? That is right, it is the time when you have

really got to stay in the moment. There is nothing you can do about

the past. You have just got to focus on the

One of the great things about tennis is that you are out there on your

own, and you have to figure it out. There are no team-mates, no coaches

coming out onto the court court, psychologists. You have got to work

it out for yourself. What a game plan, Wawrinka. That is

back to the controlled aggression of the first set. Wawrinka was the one

that was patient, waited for his opportunity to push

Super. Just cut the ball off. Came around it. Mum loves it. Lovely

play. See the way it just moves on the court, away from the advancing

baseline. He is sticking around, isn't he?

David Ferrer, playing match 84. That break him down.

David Ferrer, playing match 84. That is a lot of tennis. It has been a 15

match winning year for Stan Wawrinka, who has really established

himself in the top ten and had a career-high ranking of number eight.

Why are players getting older at the top of the game? Why are the older

men doing so well? It is something like 40% of the top 200 who are 30

or over. It is a good question. Is it down to training techniques?

Other players looking after themselves better now 's or figuring

out how to get the maximum out of their games, and that takes time? Do

you think the serving, the volleying or the lunging puts a strain on the

body? On different surfaces? Stamina increases with age, in

Open between Djokovic and Nadal. That has got to put a lot of strain

on your body. Maybe it is a peculiar band of men at the top, in the

nicest possible way. Tommy Haas, 35. And he has had some serious

injuries. He had a couple of shoulder surgery is. It is like he

has got his own operating theatre. And in both service games in the

first set, they both played for first points. Wawrinka has got the

first point. Will that make the first point. Will that make the

only one point, but it just gives you a platform to build from. It is

only one point. It is strange, but it is absolutely the way it is at

pro level. And club level, too, but people don't think about the first

point. Wawrinka does not want this went to

last a long time. Just throw it up in the air. If they get into a

baseline rally, Ferrer is dominating.

Nice change-up that from Wawrinka. First serve percentage is

He does in a second set what he couldn't do in the first. His

chances of making the semifinal in this tournament are still alive.

That is credit to him, because the momentum was with Ferrer. Ferrer had

his physical, When people see that Ferrer has won

eight points out of the ten when he comes to the net, they will wonder,

why doesn't he come to the net more? He can, but it is not necessarily

about the volleys, it is about the shot that

you more about the approach shot. From Ferrer, in does, definitely. So

we are all set here for a final set. It will be interesting to see who

can get ahead, but because Ferrer has been troubled, to say the least,

for the last half-hour. Is he going to try and dig out another Matt at

the end of a long and arduous year? His opponent beat him in the final

of another tournament. They have played twice on clay this year. The

overall head to head during the two is seven matches to four to the

Spaniard. is seven matches to four to the

Centre Court, is it? No, you don't, but the most important aspect is the

whole atmosphere. It is a packed stadium. There is a lot of energy.

That is what Ferrer needs right now. He has got to say to himself in

the changing room, OK, it has been a long year, a good year. I got one

set. Let's lay it on the line and see if he can come out with a

victory. The lights come back on at the end of TV commercial breaks

around the globe. These victories are being beamed to many countries.

It is a season-ending championship of a global sport. We are lucky to

have it in London. The sport is staged beautifully here. It has

already been extended once in this city. We

These guys in general play with heavy spin, but this is a good

example of flattening the ball out. So rarely seen before this year from

Stan Wawrinka. He has just gone up a run. He was 17 or 18 in the world in

April, and he has flown up into the top ten. He is so much more

expressive now. You were talking about placement serving, Tim.

expressive now. You were talking improved, but this is always a key

statistic in matches. Every point is big at this stage,

but he really wants to play a strong service game here. There is no

stronger way to start a game than that.

Three aces in a game, that is powerful.

great start for Wawrinka. He has a great platform now to really put the

pressure on again. See if he can get the double break.

That was a take it or leave it shot. He was not wasting too much energy

trying to get back in. So, going for broke, David Ferrer, who leads by

example in the game. You cannot aspire to be more like anybody else

if you are a young professional trying to play the game. I have just

noted that he got his 500th career win this year. Quarterfinal the

Australian open, by coming People are seeing themselves, and

they don't all like it, up on the big screens here at the centre of

the O2 Arena. It is one of the most successful entertainment venues in

the world. You are on! Hello? So, 90 seconds off, and then the

music stops and the action begins again.

You have got to admire his sense of purpose here, Wawrinka. At the

beginning of his third set, he came out from the changeover and gave it

a bit of a Nadal, sprinting back. That is as much a message to his own

systems as it is to his opponent at the other end. This would be a huge

achievement, on his first visit to the season-ending championship, to

make the semifinal. He has the season-ending championship, to

Even if he does win, he still may not come through this group, but he

probably will. No great drama on his service game,

at some point in this set, Ferrer, you would think I would have a bit

of a nibble at the serve. He would have thought, but if he carries on

serving like that, he has turned around the ratio that was poor,

winners two unforced errors, he has already hit six winners.

Now, the Swiss will be allowing himself the luxury of thinking, two

breaks, come on. What has the rear got left here? -- Ferrer?

Has this guy got heart, all what? Wawrinka is thinking, two breaks and

I am home and dry. Ferrer will not go away, it is not in his nature.

That was brilliant thinking. It was good awareness, it was only an 84

mph second serve, this one, you got the big shoulders -- shoulder turn

here and ripped it down the line. For me, that is the best one hander

in tennis. I was just thinking about Richard Gasquet, you can't believe

how beautiful that was. He has got the slice, he has got the drop. And

he recognises what a moment that was in the match. It's not over, but he

can almost see the finish line. If he wins this, he has two wins,

can almost see the finish line. If Nadal over Tomas Berdych? -- 15

games in a row. What do you think Ferrer is thinking

now? I think the change of ends, he could have been thinking, shall I go

to the Maldives? Or could have been thinking, shall I go

it's going to be uphill struggle. It's one of the best -- one of the

best 3-set matches I saw this year was in the final at Miami. The rare

-- Ferrer beating Murray in the heat and humidity.

That 3-set contest in Miami, fitness was not an issue for Ferrer. He will

not go away. Wawrinka, going to the weapon, the

first serve. That's nine points out of ten when

he has got the first serve in May have timed it any better.

that is a respectful handshake from a great competitor in David Ferrer.

Well done, Stan. You could build this as a tournament

of champions, everyone in this field has earned their place, but what I

saw from Wawrinka in the final set, playing the ultimate competitor,

that was a glorious final set from the Swiss. Right from the word go,

he laid out his intentions and he came forward, Ferrer have nothing to

Nadal is expected to beat Thomas be ashamed of.

Nadal is expected to beat Thomas Berdych, we will probably see

Stanislas Wawrinka through to play the winner of the other group,

that's the most likely scenario. Just under two hours and 20 minutes.

Congratulations, that was some match with David. Yes, what can I say,

Congratulations, that was some match Again, the crowd was amazing today,

so thank you very much. It's your first world tour finals,

you still have a chance to qualify, how nervous were you? It was a tough

week already, but the atmosphere is so good, the court is one of the

best, so I enjoyed playing here, I tried to focus on my tennis and I'm

playing quite good so that important. I guess you will be a fan

of Rafa Nadal now, because if he wins tonight, you go through to the

semifinals! For sure, I am going to be a big fan of Rafa. I am going to

tell Tommy to play good match, but I did my job all week, I did the best

Yes, it has been a superb end forced I can

Yes, it has been a superb end forced down Wawrinka, but he has two watch

what happens tonight. But if Berdych wins, then Rafa and

Thomas Berdych will go through. If Rafa gets one said, he will go

through and avoid Djokovic. If Berdych wins in straight sets, he

will go through as the winner of the group. You can follow that on the

BBC sport website. Tomorrow, it is group B.

BBC sport website. Tomorrow, it is difficult to break what was going to

happen in those first couple of sets, Stan came out and played very

good, he was dictating play from the back of the court, serving well and

you felt he had the upper hand. But Ferrer, giving up is something he

doesn't know the meaning of. Wawrinka didn't play a game -- great

game when serving for the set, then it went to a tie-break, but Wawrinka

slowly turned it around. Let's talk about David, because he showed in

that second set how much this match meant to him. He couldn't qualify

but he got so angry with himself because he just wants to win. We

were posing the question, what is he playing for, pride, I had never

were posing the question, what is he the champion. We have seen great

matches before, but this year, he has just gone up a level, his

willingness to express what he wants and share it with the crowd. I loved

that date, they had a bit of a to do the other day, he was saying to

Rafa, he is showing in the years. He looks like he is there to stay. We

were talking about what he has improved, think it is his belief,

and to be able to handle the big pressure points so much better. It

is belief that he belongs, he can beat the best players in the world

but also the belief to go for the shots at the most important moments.

You saw match point, used all a break point, six feet behind the

baseline, break point, six feet behind the

near -- year next year. Let's watch this, it was wonderful. This is to

secure the double break in the final set. He just came through, the

racket head is a big behind where it normally would be, he just rip did

down the line. This is a shot you would think about before you play

it, you prepare it and if it's there, you let it go. From a

technical point of view, when you see how still his head is and how

Pfizer arm swings, that is why he hits the ball so cleanly if you are

trying to swing that harden your head is moving around, you will make

unforced errors, but that's the best single backhand in the game right

now. It's a huge weapon for him. single backhand in the game right

hear from someone who has produced two Wimbledon champions? I am

talking about Judy Murray. She talks about what worked for her

boys and the players she works for today. She went back to inspire some

youngsters in her local primary school.

Has anybody played tennis before? Quite a few of you. Do any of you

know any famous tennis players. Who do you know? Andy Murray? You know

that he went to the school? And his brother Jamie, and I came to the

school as well. I am very keen, in Scotland, that there is a legacy

from Andy and Jamie? Scotland, that there is a legacy

these things we set up here are things we used to do at home. We

were a normal family, we didn't have space and the weather in Scotland is

terrible so you are looking for things to do in doors to occupy

young, active children. The balloon game they played in the hall was

probably a favourite. A balloon costs next to nothing, you fill it

with a feud grains of rice, so it is buzzing, but they put a piece of

rope across the radiator to the wall, and then they would back the

balloon back and forth, so whenever it bounced on your side, it touched

the carpet, that was a point to the other side. That game would keep

them entertained for hours. other side. That game would keep

enjoyed sports, and I knew if they had good coordination, it wouldn't

matter which sport they wanted to try when they got older. So we

played loads of games like these in the garden, in the house, and I'm

convinced this is what helped develop that coordination that

allowed them to be good at an number of sports. Andy was not just a great

tennis they are, he was an incredible footballer when he was

13, 14. He gave that up to play tennis. Under the ball! Lift it up.

It's non-competitive and its nonthreatening. They're having fun,

but they're starting to develop some of the skills you would need, but

done on a regular basis, there is no question you could make these kids

into good athletes. If you want to find out more, you

can on the website. I learned from my family, my mum and dad and

brother and sister, that got me started on the hard court. Likewise,

my mum side of the family, there is some tennis history there, armament

dad played, we played all sports growing up and I think that is where

she is spot on, you want them to be doing different things so they are

working on their hand eye coordination, there athletic

ability, you look at these guys, if you give them a ball to throw, kick

or catch, they will be get at it. I think that's important. My brother

David, We are going to leave you with Novak

Djokovic 's choice of music. AC/DC - "TNT".