:00:33. > :00:36.Most players are enjoying their holidays, but for Andy Murray the
:00:37. > :00:41.next fortnight will be strictly tennis. Next week, it will take two
:00:42. > :00:49.to tango as Great Britain face Belgium in the Davis Cup final. As
:00:50. > :00:55.for now, there will be no waltzing to victory as Murray struts his
:00:56. > :01:03.stuff here at the ATP World Tour Finals. Come on, Andy, time to face
:01:04. > :01:11.the music and dance. The person we have all been waiting to see...
:01:12. > :01:12.Total concentration... Really good lines, good extension through his
:01:13. > :01:29.work. Beautiful rhythm. He's into the swing, he's got the
:01:30. > :01:34.rhythm going. Lovely leave there. Very sharp, very quick, beautiful.
:01:35. > :01:40.This was particularly tidy the way he finished the routine, a little
:01:41. > :01:46.flourish. Makes it look so easy. That was impressive. A joy to watch!
:01:47. > :01:49.I'm not sure that he will be following his mother Judy on to
:01:50. > :01:54.Strictly Come Dancing any time soon, but he has been working with the
:01:55. > :02:03.ballerina we featured there. They take part in a pilates that tries to
:02:04. > :02:07.improve his core strength. Has ballet featured in the training of
:02:08. > :02:11.Tim or Andy? Not yet. I don't think it was a decision between ballet and
:02:12. > :02:15.tennis for me at any part of my life You did Strictly Come Dancing, did
:02:16. > :02:21.that improve the posture and flexibility? Dancing is fantastic
:02:22. > :02:25.for these guys. I'm negotiating on behalf of the BBC, Henman and
:02:26. > :02:29.Barker, should one of them be forced to go on Strictly Come Dancing? The
:02:30. > :02:33.answer is yes! I want to see that. I will pay anything. Increase the
:02:34. > :02:38.licence fee! Let's do this. That is the only way we would be featured on
:02:39. > :02:43.it! We would have to be forced! What a treat we have today. Andy Murray
:02:44. > :02:47.making his first match here up against David Ferrer, who is always
:02:48. > :02:49.such a dogged opponent, Ferrer. They are being introduced on to court
:02:50. > :03:24.here, Ferrer first. Ladies and gentlemen, making his
:03:25. > :03:29.seventh appearance at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, a winner of
:03:30. > :03:31.35 titles, including two Grand Slam singles crowns, from Great Britain,
:03:32. > :04:07.Andy Murray! A huge ovation for the home
:04:08. > :04:10.favourite, Murray. It has not been his favourite tournament, this. He
:04:11. > :04:14.has competed in it for a number of years and is yet to make the final.
:04:15. > :04:18.On British soil at Wimbledon, the Olympic gold, numerous Davis Cup
:04:19. > :04:22.successes, he plays so well. It has not worked for him here yet. Perhaps
:04:23. > :04:25.not. When you are setting your standards that high, and playing
:04:26. > :04:29.against the best in the world, it is never going to be easy. When you
:04:30. > :04:33.reflect on the 12 months previous, there were big question marks not
:04:34. > :04:36.only about his game, but Andy Murray's body after the back
:04:37. > :04:39.surgery. I think the way that he's responded this year has been
:04:40. > :04:43.magnificent. He's played so consistently well. That is reflected
:04:44. > :04:46.in him being number two in the world. There is every chance he can
:04:47. > :04:50.finish number two, which would be his best. I think he is ready not
:04:51. > :04:53.only to put in a great performance this week, but also to give himself
:04:54. > :04:58.the platform for Davis Cup next week. Yeah. If he wins two matches,
:04:59. > :05:04.he has that number two spot. Talking of the Davis Cup, Andy has said how
:05:05. > :05:09.difficult it is for him, he has been playing on clay-courts at Roehampton
:05:10. > :05:14.and practising on the hard. He isn't one of the players who adapts so
:05:15. > :05:20.quickly to clay. He's said his back, he has found it easy to go clay,
:05:21. > :05:27.hard - he is excited about the next two weeks. He will go 100%.
:05:28. > :05:37.UMPIRE: Any questions? No questions? You serve? Good. Photo first? Thank
:05:38. > :05:55.you. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
:05:56. > :05:59.We talk about Andy as well, and the fact that the pressure is on him.
:06:00. > :06:07.All the talk is about the Davis Cup. Can they win it for Britain, can
:06:08. > :06:12.they win it for the first time since 1936? He seems to deal with it so
:06:13. > :06:16.well, or he hides it very well. Absolutely. It is the nature of the
:06:17. > :06:19.beast in this country. It is something Murray has dealt with so
:06:20. > :06:22.well throughout his career. We only have to reflect a few miles away to
:06:23. > :06:26.Wimbledon, when he has dealt with the pressure so well, he has been
:06:27. > :06:31.the first man to win in 77 years. Again, I think the mindset is always
:06:32. > :06:36.so important and to understand that pressure is all self-inflicted. If
:06:37. > :06:40.he is thinking about those different aspects, if he is thinking about the
:06:41. > :06:45.Davis Cup history, the last time we were in a final in '78, the last
:06:46. > :06:48.time we won it in the '30s, he is not focussed on his performance.
:06:49. > :06:54.That is what he is so good at. When you look at the way he's competed in
:06:55. > :07:00.the Davis Cup, the expectation is enormous. He is expected to win two
:07:01. > :07:05.singles and then partner his brother to win the doubles. He continuously
:07:06. > :07:09.goes out and delivers, so right now, it is very important for him to
:07:10. > :07:13.focus on this match right now. He is playing against David Ferrer, who is
:07:14. > :07:16.a great competitor. I think having watched the matches yesterday, the
:07:17. > :07:20.court does look very abrasive, it looks like it is slow. So it will be
:07:21. > :07:24.a battle out there. There will be long rallies. It is important that
:07:25. > :07:27.Murray is the proactive one. He has to look to dictate to make Ferrer
:07:28. > :07:32.doing the running, if he does that, he can come out on top. It will be a
:07:33. > :07:35.fascinating match. This is the group that we are featuring today, the
:07:36. > :07:40.Ilie Nastase Group - they are named after two of the legends of the
:07:41. > :07:44.game, Ilie Nastase and Stan Smith. It is Murray against Ferrer this
:07:45. > :07:49.afternoon, Wawrinka takes on Nadal tonight. That is the night match. So
:07:50. > :07:52.a lot to look forward to here this afternoon. Last night, Roger Federer
:07:53. > :07:56.was in action. We saw Novak Djokovic win in straight sets against
:07:57. > :08:01.Nishikori in the afternoon match. Federer dropped his opening service
:08:02. > :08:07.game, but got better and better. It was a commanding performance from
:08:08. > :08:10.the world number three. He went through 6-4, 6-2 against Tomas
:08:11. > :08:13.Berdych. We talk about Murray being the home favourite, there is no
:08:14. > :08:18.question who the crowd favourite is because they come in their droves,
:08:19. > :08:23.it almost feels like it is in Switzerland when Roger is playing,
:08:24. > :08:36.so many fans here at the O2. Such a popular, the King of the Court and
:08:37. > :08:39.GOAT - that is Greatest Of All Time! He lost to Isner last time out in
:08:40. > :08:44.Paris. You have to do it again and again. After all the attention and
:08:45. > :08:48.the adoration he gets, he knows he's got to go out there and do it. He is
:08:49. > :08:54.now 34. He is the oldest man here. He is a proud competitor. He has to
:08:55. > :08:59.get the job done. So, it was a good performance from him in the end
:09:00. > :09:04.yesterday. I'm surprised he won so easily. Unshaven as well, which was
:09:05. > :09:06.unusual. I know! He is such a stylish player. This tournament is
:09:07. > :09:11.so wonderful. The top eight in the world. All the characters that we
:09:12. > :09:16.know. Nadal later on tonight. I can't get enough of this tournament.
:09:17. > :09:22.You mentioned the ages there, Federer is 34, Ferrer is 33, he is
:09:23. > :09:26.the second oldest - Nishikori, the youngest, and Djokovic is the second
:09:27. > :09:33.youngest. This whole group that we were expecting the likes of Raonic,
:09:34. > :09:38.Dimitrov, those sort of players, we were expecting them to be featured,
:09:39. > :09:43.but the golden oldies are staying. It is a reflection of the way the
:09:44. > :09:47.players train, a reflection on the way the game has revolved, that
:09:48. > :09:53.players are able to play longer. When you reflect on that younger
:09:54. > :09:57.generation, you threw out the names of Raonic, Dimitrov, Kyrgios, it is
:09:58. > :10:01.tough, these are such experienced campaigners, they will really have
:10:02. > :10:04.to raise their game over the 11-month period from January to
:10:05. > :10:09.November to try and get in an event like this. Federer was saying the
:10:10. > :10:14.other night, that the generation that was coming up, the Raonic,
:10:15. > :10:18.Dimitrov, that lot, haven't quite happened. He says things go in a
:10:19. > :10:26.five-year cycle and he is surprised that one or two haven't pushed on a
:10:27. > :10:32.bit. I don't know, maybe Roger goes on until he is 40! It is possible.
:10:33. > :10:37.He is still as fit - and you look at the last two Grand Slams, he proves
:10:38. > :10:40.it is not just three sets, it is five sets that he can still be at
:10:41. > :10:46.his best. Very much so. He is in great shape. He is still very
:10:47. > :10:51.strong. Also, an important factor is his schedule. He is selective about
:10:52. > :10:56.which events he plays. When he is hoping to play five-set matches for
:10:57. > :11:00.two weeks, he will be fresh and ready to go. He enjoys himself so
:11:01. > :11:03.much. He really enjoys every aspect, whether it is the travel, the
:11:04. > :11:07.training, or the tournament, he is out there to keep breaking records
:11:08. > :11:13.and keep proving that he is one of the best in the world. Tim, what
:11:14. > :11:17.will Jonas Bjorkman be telling Andy, or advising Andy against David
:11:18. > :11:20.Ferrer? He's got such a workmanlike style, Ferrer, you know you will be
:11:21. > :11:25.involved in a battle any time you play him? Very much so. When you
:11:26. > :11:30.talk about Ferrer's level of performance, it is so consistent, on
:11:31. > :11:33.a scale of one to ten, it will always be an eight. Whether he can
:11:34. > :11:38.reach a nine against Murray, I don't think so. Murray knows if his
:11:39. > :11:43.performance drops off, he will be in trouble. Ferrer is so consistent, he
:11:44. > :11:46.is so fast around the court, he's going to make life difficult. This
:11:47. > :11:53.is where Murray has to be proactive, he has the weapons, whether it is
:11:54. > :11:57.the serve or the aggressive ground strokes to dominate Ferrer. Also, as
:11:58. > :12:01.far as Murray is concerned, all these matches are just so important,
:12:02. > :12:05.he's chasing, he wants to be finished world number two, he wants
:12:06. > :12:08.the Davis Cup final. He said this hasn't put me off trying to play
:12:09. > :12:12.this event, a big event before the Davis Cup final. He relishes taking
:12:13. > :12:17.on the best players in the world. Absolutely. This is not only a
:12:18. > :12:20.reflection of the work Andy does throughout his year, but also how
:12:21. > :12:24.far his game has evolved from this time last year. I remember sitting
:12:25. > :12:31.here and talking about the defeat to Roger Federer when he only won one
:12:32. > :12:33.game. There were big question marks about him physically, his tennis
:12:34. > :12:37.game and his relationship with Amelie Mauresmo. Now, Jonas Bjorkman
:12:38. > :12:41.is in the equation. It has been an incredible 11 months. With these two
:12:42. > :12:45.events, the ATP World Tour Finals, the Davis Cup in Belgium, it is a
:12:46. > :12:49.great problem to have, they are two of the biggest events in our sport.
:12:50. > :12:53.And Andy has an opportunity of winning them both. Absolutely.
:12:54. > :13:02.Talking of problems to have, Leon Smith has a problem - who does he
:13:03. > :13:09.pick for his number two? Will it be Kyle Edmund or Aljaz Bedene? Get in
:13:10. > :13:14.touch with us on social media. But enjoy this match with Tim and Andrew
:13:15. > :14:28.Castle. Number seven in the world, David
:14:29. > :14:32.Ferrer. He has won in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, Vienna - that is getting the
:14:33. > :15:05.miles up there. He puts a shift in every time he takes to the court.
:15:06. > :15:14.The best form of defence is attack. Ferrer is a classic example of that.
:15:15. > :15:22.We know he can defend against an attacking ball, but following in and
:15:23. > :15:23.poking a volley away here and there, that makes him awkward. We will
:15:24. > :16:16.watch for the sneak play. Still using "Sears"? They have Andy
:16:17. > :16:17.Murray's wife. Expecting, huge things ahead. What an amazing time
:16:18. > :17:13.in both their lives. Just too long. Trying to get his
:17:14. > :17:15.forehand into play, Ferrer, skipping and dancing into the backhand
:17:16. > :17:28.corner. You can really sense Ferrer is
:17:29. > :17:31.trying to get on top of these points early on in the rally. It is
:17:32. > :17:33.important that Murray keeps the ball out of that middle section of the
:17:34. > :18:07.court. This is how these matches at the
:18:08. > :18:13.World Tour Finals differ from regular tournaments. If this was a
:18:14. > :18:17.semifinal in Paris, a quarterfinal of the French Open, it is match
:18:18. > :18:22.number one. There is no chance to warm up into this tournament. We
:18:23. > :18:26.need a good singles match here, and we might have it this afternoon.
:18:27. > :18:37.From break-point down, a hold for Andy Murray. 1-0.
:18:38. > :18:45.I was on that thing called The Underground, the Tube, the other
:18:46. > :18:48.day, where you go on with members of the public! They were saying after
:18:49. > :18:52.the Nishikori match with Djokovic, as I was in the queue down there,
:18:53. > :18:56.they were saying that they didn't think Nishikori, a couple of them
:18:57. > :19:01.were saying Nishikori didn't try yesterday against Djokovic. It
:19:02. > :19:05.wasn't that. He was so outplayed in every area, he didn't have another
:19:06. > :19:18.game to go to, as you were talking about. The scoreline 6-1, 6-1 looks
:19:19. > :19:20.very one-sided and Nishikori was out there trying for every ball. It
:19:21. > :19:43.shows the gulf in class. Pretty much a full house again here,
:19:44. > :19:48.a few seats up at the top, the top tier at the O2 unoccupied, so
:19:49. > :20:17.presumably around about 16,000 people watching the tennis today.
:20:18. > :20:23.Ferrer with his good footwork, he is always looking to get around that
:20:24. > :20:27.backhand to hit his forehand, to get his forehand into play. An effective
:20:28. > :20:31.shot for Murray will be the backhand down the line. If he hits that well,
:20:32. > :21:46.then he can open up Ferrer's backhand.
:21:47. > :21:58.Wow! Great tennis already. Very entertaining match. The former
:21:59. > :22:07.French Open Champion watching on. There was a lot of this slice and
:22:08. > :22:10.dice when they played that match in Paris that Murray ended up winning a
:22:11. > :22:19.couple of weeks ago, in straight sets. It was a masterclass at times.
:22:20. > :22:24.There was a bit of Jonas Bjorkman in the tactics that Murray was using
:22:25. > :24:04.that day. Plenty of drop shots, moving his opponent round.
:24:05. > :24:17.So hard to put the ball away. Superb court speed from Andy Murray, 2-1.
:24:18. > :24:22.It's hard to imagine there is somebody less engaged in social
:24:23. > :24:26.media than Tim Henman. We have him for an hour or two here and we will
:24:27. > :24:32.make him answer a couple of questions. Who would you pick for
:24:33. > :24:36.the Davis Cup, that is our question. Lots of ways to get in touch. Who
:24:37. > :24:44.would you pick for the Davis Cup at number two? It could be very
:24:45. > :24:50.important. In the Davis Cup final against Belgium. You have Aljaz
:24:51. > :24:56.Bedene, there is an appeal going on tomorrow as whether he can represent
:24:57. > :25:01.Great Britain. He has a British passport, he is not allowed to play
:25:02. > :25:09.because he played a couple of dead rubbers for Slovenia. Would you play
:25:10. > :25:24.Bedene if the appeal wins, or would you play James Ward, or Dan Evans,
:25:25. > :25:29.or Kyle Edmund? Would you play James Ward, who has just won in India? It
:25:30. > :25:33.is amazing how it's evolved in a short period of time. After the
:25:34. > :25:38.previous tie against Australia, there was no-one who was really
:25:39. > :25:43.trying to grasp that second singles spot. And those boys have found some
:25:44. > :25:49.form. A better problem for Leon Smith to have, but I don't
:25:50. > :25:52.necessarily envy his decision. I will get a direct answer from you in
:25:53. > :25:55.about five minutes! You should be looking at the Davis Cup captaincy
:25:56. > :26:16.one day, too, as well as Strictly! A lot of talk about aggression in
:26:17. > :26:20.tennis. That return was aggressive, inside the baseline, taking it
:26:21. > :26:22.early, and hitting the ball firmly through the court. It handcuffed
:26:23. > :27:36.Ferrer. This is so good. Right out of the
:27:37. > :27:41.middle of the racquet! Clean hitting from both players.
:27:42. > :27:49.We are only in the fourth game, but Ferrer is starting well, Murray
:27:50. > :27:52.looking to take those opportunities going back behind Ferrer.
:27:53. > :28:13.Half chance here at 15-30 to stamp his authority on this first set.
:28:14. > :29:39.Murray won't be happy at giving away a donation there at 15-30.
:29:40. > :29:48.APPLAUSE Andy Murray faked the cross-court,
:29:49. > :29:52.pushed it down the line, Ferrer has been around the clay-courts of
:29:53. > :30:01.Europe too much for that, he didn't fall for it, Tim.
:30:02. > :30:13.Not quite. He looks to his left, watch this. Good for the highlight
:30:14. > :30:35.reel, not for breaking serve. Had a bit of time.
:30:36. > :30:43.Murray will be furious with that break point, get to the ball in good
:30:44. > :30:55.time and fake him out with the head and not execute the shot properly.
:30:56. > :31:00.Very nice. Break point saved, they called for Ferrer. Both players have
:31:01. > :31:27.had opportunities. Good point from Ferrer but you would
:31:28. > :31:30.like to see Murray finishing the point at the net with a forehand or
:31:31. > :31:46.a backhand down the line. As fast as these players are it is a
:31:47. > :32:00.good idea to hit bang, make them change direction. -- hit behind.
:32:01. > :32:06.So powerful and so strong, the legs coming up through the ground. Look
:32:07. > :33:56.at the rotation. Just ideal timing. Quality match. We are half looking
:33:57. > :34:06.forward to the Davis Cup final as well. Who would you pick? James Ward
:34:07. > :34:17.has one recently. Kyle Eastman recently won on clay.
:34:18. > :34:29.Tim Henman. Who would you pick? And evidence? He cannot get a look in.
:34:30. > :34:33.It is great to see him moving in the right direction, he has the ability
:34:34. > :34:39.but not always the commitment. He would not be my pick. First and
:34:40. > :34:49.foremost you would wait on the decision. I think it will be
:34:50. > :34:54.narrowed down to James Ward and Kyle Edmond. James has done fantastically
:34:55. > :35:14.well. He has taken this team a long way. I think he would get the nod.
:35:15. > :35:19.It is a nice problem to have, I would be comfortable with either of
:35:20. > :35:31.those players. I think that Kyle has proved himself a good player. He has
:35:32. > :35:36.proved he can play on clay. James has proved he can play in the Davis
:35:37. > :37:44.Cup arena. Either one of those guys, they can do themselves proud.
:37:45. > :38:43.That was very well handled. The quality continues.
:38:44. > :38:47.Raphael the Dell will be playing later on. It will be so good to have
:38:48. > :41:01.him back. -- Rafael Nadal. Murray needs to get back to the
:41:02. > :41:09.basics, set up an opportunity to direct these points.
:41:10. > :41:21.He has made no secret, the priority is Davis Cup. Just one game at a
:41:22. > :41:47.time, just one match at a time. Last year it was Roger Federer and
:41:48. > :41:58.Stan Wawrinka on the verge of a Davis Cup final on clay. That is
:41:59. > :42:06.what Andy Murray is going through. This is certainly important. With
:42:07. > :42:17.the Davis Cup final at head, you cannot help but think a little bit
:42:18. > :42:22.of what is to come. This is a classic scenario, you've just got to
:42:23. > :42:28.take things one day at the time, one match at a time. Here he is on court
:42:29. > :42:32.against Ferrer, you hear him say that he does not know what he is
:42:33. > :42:37.doing. He is not that clear with his game plan. He just needs to think
:42:38. > :42:44.about the basics. Trying to get on top in the rallies, when he gets
:42:45. > :42:49.second serve opportunities, he can be aggressive. If he does that, he
:42:50. > :42:53.can dominate against Ferrer. If he does not have a clear mindset then
:42:54. > :43:08.Ferrer will make life difficult for him. He has got four victories this
:43:09. > :43:16.year, four tournament. He stretched Novak Djokovic to one of the most
:43:17. > :43:20.dramatic matches of the year in the semifinal of the French Open. You
:43:21. > :43:29.would not want to be facing him on any surface. You would not want to
:43:30. > :43:36.be going into the reverse singles, after Andy Murray destroyed the
:43:37. > :43:44.Belgian in Paris. The loss of only one game. Amazing.
:43:45. > :44:12.I wonder whether Andy Murray charged him for that lesson.
:44:13. > :44:29.It is overruled, will Ferrer have a look at that? Yes. The ball was
:44:30. > :44:45.good. He did ask. He has called it now. We saw that. He did request it.
:44:46. > :44:51.The umpire has missed that. I did not see you ask for it. That is good
:44:52. > :44:58.sportsmanship from Andy Murray. Exactly the right thing to do. This
:44:59. > :45:08.is the official review. The previous one was just for us. Ferrer is a
:45:09. > :45:19.little angry with the umpire. My bad. He is taking responsibility.
:45:20. > :45:23.They are meant to get involved when there is a clear mistake. It is
:45:24. > :45:52.pretty obvious he has made a clear mistake himself.
:45:53. > :46:04.That is a wicked tennis points. Just fantastic. The amount of ways that
:46:05. > :46:15.Andy Murray can come at you. The defensive lob was superb. Superb
:46:16. > :46:17.stuff all the way round. His proactive best. Looking to dictate,
:46:18. > :47:00.looking to dominate. Murray's court positioning on that
:47:01. > :47:07.point, just on the baseline, looking to dictate. He has won every point
:47:08. > :47:57.since he said, what am I doing here?
:47:58. > :48:02.I think that forehand mess can be a little bit of a reaction from Ferrer
:48:03. > :48:05.because he knows that he is going to drop the ball little bit short,
:48:06. > :48:39.Murray is beginning to get offensive.
:48:40. > :48:42.Mr Murray is challenging the call on the right sideline. Ball was called
:48:43. > :49:15.out. Was that the right ball on the
:49:16. > :49:37.baseline? Just long. That is why we've got
:49:38. > :49:39.Hawk-Eye. You can see the implications for the top end of the
:49:40. > :50:08.game. Did not think that one. Did not
:50:09. > :50:19.sound like he moved like a ballet dancer but he certainly moved
:50:20. > :50:21.quickly. It is one thing getting to the ball and another thing being
:50:22. > :50:35.able to control it. Superb length. We have got a match
:50:36. > :51:18.here. Nice early preparation here. They
:51:19. > :51:23.are not stopping as he hits the ball, just moving through. Lending
:51:24. > :52:01.some control. It is important he keeps that Bill,
:52:02. > :52:47.keeps his nose in front. Andy Murray did well to cut the
:52:48. > :52:51.angle off. He did not move just horizontally across the baseline, he
:52:52. > :52:55.looked to cut the angle down, take time away from Ferrer and executed
:52:56. > :53:37.his shot perfectly. It is the speed of movement, but
:53:38. > :55:20.then having the control, flick that one down the line.
:55:21. > :55:23.Fine hold after the disappointment of not capitalising on break points
:55:24. > :55:42.in the previous game. The first brothers, Jamie and Andy,
:55:43. > :55:55.in a season ending Championship since John and Patrick McEnroe.
:55:56. > :56:11.Certainly adds a bit of spice to the doubles format. Most people in the
:56:12. > :56:14.UK still playing doubles. I cannot believe Jamie is splitting with his
:56:15. > :56:23.Australian partner after three years. It is surprisingly new
:56:24. > :56:30.reflect on the success they've had. Qualified for the first time then
:56:31. > :56:43.they are going to go their separate ways. It is just personal. There is
:56:44. > :56:44.no other reason given. With that sort of success, why change a
:56:45. > :56:54.winning game plan. Probably the closest singles match
:56:55. > :57:46.we've had so far. This is one of these challenges that
:57:47. > :57:54.is more for peace of mind. First point of an important game.
:57:55. > :59:05.Mr Murray has one challenge remaining.
:59:06. > :59:11.A couple of nervy points from Ferrer, you almost feel he is
:59:12. > :59:25.playing the scoreboard and not the actual point.
:59:26. > :59:30.Mr Ferrer is challenging the call on the right service line, ball was
:59:31. > :00:02.called out. Just landing inside the baseline,
:00:03. > :00:12.pushing it deep. Created the angle. The timing is everything. The
:00:13. > :00:28.floated return. Two break points again.
:00:29. > :00:45.Another double fault and it is first set to Andy Murray.
:00:46. > :00:51.Good start for Andrew Murray. When we saw Roger Federer and Novak
:00:52. > :00:58.Jarkko bitch go through in the other group. This is Murray 's macro first
:00:59. > :01:01.match tonight. Between the Stan Wawrinka up against Rafael Nadal.
:01:02. > :01:09.Lovely to see him back here. You can listen to it live on BBC Radio 5
:01:10. > :01:13.Live sports extra. We have been asking you about who should play the
:01:14. > :01:22.second singles match for Great Britain against Belgium next week.
:01:23. > :01:28.Somebody said the best player available to take the pressure of
:01:29. > :01:35.Andy Murray. Kyle says it has got to be James Ward, deserves to play in
:01:36. > :01:44.the final. And another person said James Ward is the obvious choice. If
:01:45. > :01:49.we had not beaten John Isner, we wouldn't be here. Playing for your
:01:50. > :01:56.country, Davis Cup final, it is a huge match.
:01:57. > :02:07.Whether he will stick with James Ward, who has proven himself in the
:02:08. > :02:12.Davis Cup before. Kyle Edmund, the future of British tennis, will he
:02:13. > :02:16.give him a chance? That is next week. But Andy Murray, the British
:02:17. > :02:22.number one is going well here. No doubt Andy Murray will have a say in
:02:23. > :02:29.who plays as number two as well. Will have to get to Belgium and
:02:30. > :02:33.practice. It will be a feeling for the captain, Leon Smith. No doubt
:02:34. > :02:40.Andy Murray has been consulted. What a challenge on clay in twin Azeris,
:02:41. > :02:44.then don't get selected would be hard to take him, who is already top
:02:45. > :03:24.100. First set, very much according to
:03:25. > :03:29.plan for Andy Murray. Keeping his nose in front and getting the break
:03:30. > :03:33.in the last game. Very important the intensity levels don't drop. Doesn't
:03:34. > :03:42.want to let Ferrer back into the match. Such a matchplay is, Ferrer,
:03:43. > :03:58.isn't he? Every year he tucks away 50 match
:03:59. > :04:01.wins. Already this year, 55. His sixth appearance by right in this
:04:02. > :04:05.season ending championship for the Spanish player. He came in last year
:04:06. > :05:02.for one match. It is a break to Ferrer. Knife
:05:03. > :05:07.through butter and 1-0. Talk about the British David 's cup hopes, the
:05:08. > :05:13.Spanish, without this magnificent record in the Davis Cup have been
:05:14. > :05:18.struggling. Conchita Martinez, the Davis Cup captain, had described the
:05:19. > :05:25.running of the Spanish Federation as chaotic and belligerent of late. It
:05:26. > :05:29.was confusion as to who was being consulted and he was made captain.
:05:30. > :05:38.They are having absolute fits over there. They lost to Russia but in
:05:39. > :05:42.Denmark. They are in the second tier of the Davis Cup at the moment.
:05:43. > :05:52.Ferrer, played in that Davis Cup match. May have played in the match,
:05:53. > :05:59.but he has problems with his second serve. Is he a bit EP on the ball
:06:00. > :06:03.toss? It is a bit too far forward and too far to the right. So we
:06:04. > :06:44.cannot get the top-spin, he has coming round the side of it.
:06:45. > :06:53.Just looking at Ferrer. The ball was called in.
:06:54. > :07:14.Murray set the points out extremely well. Then is normally so good with
:07:15. > :07:15.the touch shots, the feel shots at the net, but just gave it a bit too
:07:16. > :07:40.much air. The linesman's colleague on the long
:07:41. > :07:42.line was perfect and minute ago. That is good as well, they are in
:07:43. > :08:15.top form. Told you so. Seems to me the court is very
:08:16. > :08:20.abrasive and slow. What Ferrer did well, was to use the angle. He
:08:21. > :08:21.didn't try to beat Andy Murray with so much pace, but got him off the
:08:22. > :09:07.court. If the ball toss is in the wrong
:09:08. > :09:11.position, it means his body weight is going too far forward. You want
:09:12. > :09:35.to make sure your energy is exploding upwards.
:09:36. > :09:44.Always in trouble after he was made to play the harp Ollie. On this
:09:45. > :09:52.Court, high bouncing, slow. -- heart Ollie. Still had to make it, Ferrer,
:09:53. > :09:54.but a straightforward all. He doesn't go away this one. He still
:09:55. > :10:26.believes. It is the beauty of the scoring
:10:27. > :10:29.system in tennis. Murray as almost had the perfect start, winning the
:10:30. > :10:36.first set and getting the break in the final game of the last set.
:10:37. > :10:40.Building the momentum. In the space of ten minutes, you would almost
:10:41. > :10:43.think Murray hast to hold serve here, because down a double break,
:10:44. > :11:54.this set could go away. He will be thinking, where was this?
:11:55. > :12:24.Dropped his serve to love, but this is comfortable.
:12:25. > :12:34.Exhibition tennis. Timothy, I have got a stat for you. These are the
:12:35. > :12:43.only two players undefeated after winning the first set on tour this
:12:44. > :12:48.year. They are 102 after winning the first set between them. Can you
:12:49. > :12:55.believe that, 102 matches after winning the first set. Good front
:12:56. > :13:00.runners. Murray has 159 straight matches, after winning the first
:13:01. > :13:09.set. Ferrer, 43 straight matches after winning the first set. Murray
:13:10. > :13:15.is a setup. It is good start? It is, from Djokovic's point of view, which
:13:16. > :13:26.much did he lose, what was the score against Stan Wawrinka? Give me a
:13:27. > :13:31.minute. Djokovic is 74 and two and the last lot was indeed against Stan
:13:32. > :13:46.Wawrinka in the final at Roland Garros. I congratulate you. Not even
:13:47. > :13:54.read a note. Some good stats. Certainly from Murray's point of
:13:55. > :14:08.view. 66% first serves is a good map number for him in the match. Murray
:14:09. > :14:19.has one 67% of points on his second serve, Ferrer, 42.
:14:20. > :15:09.Like he is out for a stroll, when he plays shots like this. Almost an
:15:10. > :15:11.exhibition match. It is horrible when they go over your head because
:15:12. > :15:26.you know you are going to get done! Certainly seen Andy Murray
:15:27. > :15:29.concentrate better than I have seen at the moment. You know he is
:15:30. > :15:35.thinking about the Davis Cup, playing in front of a home crowd. He
:15:36. > :15:40.is engaged and playing beautifully and winning, but... Makes me nervous
:15:41. > :16:02.when he starts moaning. Six double faults in the match,
:16:03. > :16:06.three in this set already. Six in the last three service games. Now
:16:07. > :16:08.Ferrer has got the opportunity, got the break of serve, he doesn't want
:16:09. > :17:29.to be giving it back. One of the stewards in a high
:17:30. > :17:33.visibility jacket in row five to Andy Murray's left. He is noticing
:17:34. > :18:14.everything at the minute, as people are coming in.
:18:15. > :18:21.Every time Murray is distracted, whether he is noticing a steward or
:18:22. > :18:24.a spectator in their seat, or the dialogue going back to the box. He
:18:25. > :18:28.is not thinking about the next points. He is good enough to get
:18:29. > :18:38.away with it against some players, but when he is playing a competitor
:18:39. > :19:33.at the world tour final, David Ferrer, he is asking for trouble.
:19:34. > :19:40.It is a lot closer to the line than he meant it to be. A lack of
:19:41. > :19:50.concentration. He should have very best into the service box. --
:19:51. > :19:51.buried. Never had the best of Smashers, so even more reason to
:19:52. > :20:21.concentrate on that shot. They have played some very intense
:20:22. > :20:24.matches. Miami, 2013, it went 7-6 in the final set. Ferrer at the end of
:20:25. > :20:37.it was cramping and struggling to finish. That is how fit Murray is.
:20:38. > :20:57.Indoor match like this is unlikely to take that much out.
:20:58. > :21:13.Crowd a little confused with this at the moment. He is certainly distract
:21:14. > :21:19.it, Murray. He has an obstinate opponent. It didn't happen with Ivan
:21:20. > :21:24.Lendl sat over there. It is not a criticism, just an observation. When
:21:25. > :21:29.your concentration goes you are moving away from your game style.
:21:30. > :21:34.When Ivan Lendl was in charge, Andy Murray was more calculated with the
:21:35. > :21:38.way he wanted to play. Every time there was a distraction and this
:21:39. > :21:43.chat goes back and forth, you are not thinking about the next one.
:21:44. > :21:48.That is when his game can have peaks and troughs, in terms of his level
:21:49. > :21:55.of intensity and consistency. Is it because he is but much better than
:21:56. > :21:59.Ferrer, even though Ferrer is a world-class player, he can afford to
:22:00. > :22:08.take his foot off? The predicament is, when he comes up against
:22:09. > :22:14.Djokovic or Roger Federer, you cannot ingrain these bad habits.
:22:15. > :22:20.That is what is so impressive that Djokovic, he has elevated his games
:22:21. > :22:24.to new heights. He has the same focus of concentration, whether it
:22:25. > :22:27.is in practice, tournaments or grand slam finals. With Ferrer, there is
:22:28. > :22:46.much more variation. -- Murray. Seven double faults now. Getting a
:22:47. > :22:51.bit cross now. Goes back to the ball toss. When it is in the wrong place,
:22:52. > :22:52.certainly to far right, cannot get the top-spin and doesn't have the
:22:53. > :23:13.margin for error. Love 15, second serve. Having just
:23:14. > :23:40.served a double fault, Murray won't be happy with missing that.
:23:41. > :23:45.Doesn't mess and of these over the course of a season, the past
:23:46. > :24:20.crosscourt. Wonderful shot. 15-30. Fabulous touch. The backhand return
:24:21. > :24:25.had Ferrer off-balance. Then he came underneath the ball. Watch the ball
:24:26. > :24:30.react of this surface. It stops, head to the right, it takes it away
:24:31. > :25:00.from the opponent coming in. Two break points.
:25:01. > :25:18.If it had been seven or eight inches higher, it would have been an easier
:25:19. > :26:14.volley. Credit to Ferrer. Yes! Self point, that. -- turf. You
:26:15. > :26:22.know when you have done the fitness work. That is Murray engaged, at his
:26:23. > :26:27.very best. When he plays like that and focuses like that, he plays
:26:28. > :26:34.really tennis. The challenge for him, is to do it point in, point
:26:35. > :26:42.out. He's not going to do it every point, but when he plays like
:26:43. > :26:48.that... Amazing. That was hard for Ferrer to handle. Variation, the
:26:49. > :26:55.movements, the timing and the power. He has got it there, he just needs
:26:56. > :26:59.to do it more often. New tennis balls. They will be fluffed up quite
:27:00. > :28:13.quickly on this surface. Arms down and it was... Absolutely
:28:14. > :28:17.perfect. In terms of making volleys in a difficult position, there is
:28:18. > :28:24.nobody better than Andy Murray at the moment. Roger Federer can
:28:25. > :28:31.volley, of course. It is all a bit different. The net play of the top
:28:32. > :28:34.players. All of them can put a floating ball away, but the
:28:35. > :28:38.technique to make something where nothing exists. Like you, Timothy.
:28:39. > :28:56.Kind of a dying art. Murray going to work on Ferrer's
:28:57. > :29:02.forehand return here. Two out wide, two down the middle. Ferrer should
:29:03. > :29:05.be covering it. Interesting after the first point after Ferrer hit a
:29:06. > :29:31.clean winner. He has become quite a spokesperson
:29:32. > :29:34.has Andy Murray. Is happy to do interviews in the days leading up to
:29:35. > :29:39.this and when the Russian Brooks and all came out, he came out to talk
:29:40. > :29:45.about the vigilance required on the drug testing front for tennis. The
:29:46. > :29:50.day of the Russian report and all that has been going on, he was woken
:29:51. > :29:57.up at seven o'clock in the morning for a blood and during test at home.
:29:58. > :30:02.He said, it is absolutely fine by me. He reckons he has been tested
:30:03. > :30:08.between 20 and 30 times this year. He is very happy and very quick to
:30:09. > :30:14.say, I agree with this. He takes a big leadership role these days? He
:30:15. > :30:17.does, we talked about Djokovic and the way he conducts themselves, we
:30:18. > :30:22.have great ambassadors setting the standards for the younger generation
:30:23. > :30:27.coming up and drug testing has to be a part of that. We have to make sure
:30:28. > :30:31.we have a level playing field. The whereabouts rule is the difficulty
:30:32. > :30:37.for these players. The drug testers have to know where you are 365 days
:30:38. > :30:42.of the year? Absolutely right. It is not every minute, but the players
:30:43. > :30:45.have to guarantee one hour every day where they will be. If the drug
:30:46. > :30:48.testers turn up and you are not where you said you're going to be,
:30:49. > :31:10.three strikes and you're out. Murray will be looking to get
:31:11. > :31:30.another break of serve and finish this match off.
:31:31. > :32:18.Look at the second bounce, six feet from the net and going out wide?
:32:19. > :33:59.Big mess but a fine second serve, depth, into the body. Great second
:34:00. > :34:45.serve given the circumstances. Four straight points. That is the
:34:46. > :34:52.sort of stuff he is made of. 4-4, second set. The quality of the
:34:53. > :35:04.ground strokes. We speak about the fitness. That was a fine hold.
:35:05. > :37:03.Admirable. Andy Murray continually going to the
:37:04. > :37:04.forehand side. You would think Ferrer might hedge his bets a little
:37:05. > :38:22.bit. If you are just coming in these are
:38:23. > :38:43.the season-ending championships. After they have all played each
:38:44. > :38:55.other in their groups, they will play each other. This is the closest
:38:56. > :39:02.singles match we have had so far. Later on, Rafael Nadal in the same
:39:03. > :39:11.group, he will play Stanislas Wawrinka in what should be a
:39:12. > :39:24.wonderful contest. Nobody in this group has our chilly -- has actually
:39:25. > :39:32.won this competition. When you think that Novak Djokovic has won four,
:39:33. > :39:43.Roger Federer has six, it is slim pickings for everybody else.
:39:44. > :39:46.I think Rafael Nadal has a good point, should it be on play every
:39:47. > :42:16.now and then? -- on clay. Apart from the last shot, I'm not
:42:17. > :42:24.sure what he wanted to do. Just looking at the sideline, he played a
:42:25. > :42:27.shot almost waiting for the call. Just on the outside edge. Still a
:42:28. > :43:09.big opportunity. He has missed that! He will not miss
:43:10. > :43:14.many of those in the course of the season. Andy Murray made enough of a
:43:15. > :43:19.move to his left, perhaps. After a half-volley that landed in the
:43:20. > :43:46.middle of the court, Murray has match point.
:43:47. > :44:00.That is that! Andy Murray is off to a winning start at the World Tour
:44:01. > :44:14.Finals. Was not always comfortable. Ferrer has played his part.
:44:15. > :44:20.The world number two, the top man in his group can sit back down and
:44:21. > :44:34.watch Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal. He just needs to win two
:44:35. > :44:39.matches for another feather in his cap. Good work. Important to get a
:44:40. > :44:48.victory at head of the Davis Cup final. Apart from one lapse of
:44:49. > :44:54.concentration that lasted 15 minutes, very impressive. Just as he
:44:55. > :44:58.did in Paris a couple of weeks ago, Murray dismissing Ferrer in straight
:44:59. > :45:17.sets without being pushed too far. Hitting the ball as clean as a
:45:18. > :45:22.whistle. No injuries and no great drama for Andy Murray to deal with.
:45:23. > :45:29.Concentrating hard on the second set and he got the job done. It is not
:45:30. > :45:36.over for Davitt forever, this is round robin, he now needs to play
:45:37. > :45:45.Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal -- not over for David Ferrer.
:45:46. > :45:58.Second serve points, Murray was dominant. The winner was Andy
:45:59. > :46:01.Murray. Congratulations, Andy. Ferrer is never an easy opponent,
:46:02. > :46:07.give us your assessment of the match. It was a tough match with a
:46:08. > :46:12.lot of long rallies. He obviously fought right through the silly end
:46:13. > :46:19.as always, and made it extremely difficult for me -- fought right
:46:20. > :46:23.through until the end. I played more solid at the end of both sets which
:46:24. > :46:30.got me the wind. We have seen you sneaking into the net, we also saw
:46:31. > :46:36.drop shots. Does this court suit all types of play? I think so. It is
:46:37. > :46:41.fair for all the players. You see a variety of points. A lot of points
:46:42. > :46:46.up at the net. I think there was a good variety of tennis out there and
:46:47. > :46:51.it would be good if more of the courts were like that. Often they
:46:52. > :46:56.are extremely slow and people play from the baseline. Tell us about the
:46:57. > :47:04.mindset going into these games. Every match is like a semifinal.
:47:05. > :47:11.What is the mindset? Obviously you need to try to win every game. A few
:47:12. > :47:19.years ago I got knocked out by one game in the group stages. You need
:47:20. > :47:24.to try to win them in two sets, which was good for me today. I could
:47:25. > :47:29.still go out. Just because I won my first match, there are no guarantees
:47:30. > :47:33.and I need to win the next one, and it will be difficult. Happy to be
:47:34. > :47:38.back here? All the players love this event. That is why it is staying
:47:39. > :47:48.here for a few more years. The atmosphere is fantastic, it is
:47:49. > :47:51.packed from the first match and all the doubles players love it because
:47:52. > :48:00.everybody comes and watches those matches to start the day off. My
:48:01. > :48:06.brother is playing at it as well this year, which is great. It is
:48:07. > :48:19.obviously going to be a busy couple of weeks. Hopefully both of us can
:48:20. > :48:36.play well. You will have plenty of support. It is lovely that he can
:48:37. > :48:42.just drive home after playing here. What a super performance. His form
:48:43. > :48:50.dropped at the start of the second set. Good start. This is the group,
:48:51. > :48:54.confirmation of the result tonight. Stan Wawrinka versus Rafael Nadal.
:48:55. > :49:03.You can hear that on radio five live sport extra. That is at 8pm. We will
:49:04. > :49:06.be back tomorrow and the match we have got is Tomas Burdick against
:49:07. > :49:10.Kei Nishikori. Must win match for one of those players to keep their
:49:11. > :49:23.hopes alive. Five in a row against Ferrer. That
:49:24. > :49:28.is impressive because he is one of the great battle is. Absolutely. In
:49:29. > :49:33.the context of this event, straight sets victory, the world number 7 to
:49:34. > :49:39.get off to a good start is very good. When you look at the
:49:40. > :49:48.performance and start analysing it, to compete against the best players
:49:49. > :49:50.there are too many peaks and troughs in his intensity. If you look at the
:49:51. > :49:54.last six games, he focused his mind, he was clear in his game plan, he
:49:55. > :50:01.looked to dictate and he played great tennis. You look at the other
:50:02. > :50:07.stages, when he starts this dialogue, he is not focused on the
:50:08. > :50:12.next point. He gives his opponent the opportunity to be the proactive
:50:13. > :50:17.one. There is good stuff there but there is plenty to work on. He will
:50:18. > :50:24.always have a bit of big, that is part of his DNA. It fires him up. We
:50:25. > :50:28.picked up some good points because there was great play at either end
:50:29. > :50:35.of the net and Andy Murray is so hard to play. Just dominating the
:50:36. > :50:39.points. When he starts to push his opponents around he is so effective.
:50:40. > :50:53.The you remember when they were saying, get more proactive. This is
:50:54. > :50:59.almost like a tune-up. He is putting this guy away in straight sets. He
:51:00. > :51:09.is seven foot inside the baseline. He defends in a world-class manner.
:51:10. > :51:16.He make this look so easy. It was a great drop shot. He is not only able
:51:17. > :51:22.to get to the ball in a great time but those were great moments. He did
:51:23. > :51:28.not break in that game but his athletic ability and balance has
:51:29. > :51:32.never been in question. He was working out last week and getting
:51:33. > :51:41.his heart rate above 180 on the monitor. That is why you do that so
:51:42. > :51:46.you can do this. The variety that he showed was good, he was mixing it up
:51:47. > :51:50.so well it was working. That is right, and it will be relevant
:51:51. > :51:54.against Ferrer because if you just play him from the baseline it will
:51:55. > :52:01.be difficult but if you can start to get him out of position, Andy Murray
:52:02. > :52:04.has always used the drop shot well. He emphasised the point about the
:52:05. > :52:15.surface and it was an effective tactic. He will need to play as
:52:16. > :52:20.well. It is a difficult group. Difficult matches. I cannot wait to
:52:21. > :52:27.see that. Think about his life at the moment. He has got a baby on the
:52:28. > :52:32.way, the Davis Cup final, he could finish the year as world number two,
:52:33. > :52:36.it is all going his way. He should be enjoying himself. I expect him to
:52:37. > :52:41.get through the group. It has been another great year. With the
:52:42. > :52:45.greatest of respect to everyone out there, Kyle, James, Dan doing well,
:52:46. > :52:50.there is nobody else like this in the pipeline and I think we all know
:52:51. > :52:56.that. Enjoy him whilst he is year. Another three years of this. And
:52:57. > :52:59.also, just the way he handles the pressure, he does it so well,
:53:00. > :53:07.because you know what it is like. He does. I can say that he needs to
:53:08. > :53:11.focus on a little bit more of certain points but in the grand
:53:12. > :53:15.scheme of things, the way that he focuses on his preparation, he is
:53:16. > :53:18.the ultimate professional. He is such a good role model for those
:53:19. > :53:25.kids who want to follow in his footsteps. Thank you very much.
:53:26. > :53:31.Wonderful afternoon year in London, straight sets victory from Andy
:53:32. > :53:35.Murray, he marches on. A lot to look forward to throughout the week. Join
:53:36. > :53:43.us from 2pm. Goodbye for now.