Day 2: Murray v Ferrer Tennis: World Tour Finals

Most players are enjoying their holidays, but for Andy Murray the

next fortnight will be strictly tennis. Next week, it will take two

to tango as Great Britain face Belgium in the Davis Cup final. As

for now, there will be no waltzing to victory as Murray struts his

stuff here at the ATP World Tour Finals. Come on, Andy, time to face

the music and dance. The person we have all been waiting to see...

Total concentration... Really good lines, good extension through his

work. Beautiful rhythm. He's into the swing, he's got the

rhythm going. Lovely leave there. Very sharp, very quick, beautiful.

This was particularly tidy the way he finished the routine, a little

flourish. Makes it look so easy. That was impressive. A joy to watch!

I'm not sure that he will be following his mother Judy on to

Strictly Come Dancing any time soon, but he has been working with the

ballerina we featured there. They take part in a pilates that tries to

improve his core strength. Has ballet featured in the training of

Tim or Andy? Not yet. I don't think it was a decision between ballet and

tennis for me at any part of my life You did Strictly Come Dancing, did

that improve the posture and flexibility? Dancing is fantastic

for these guys. I'm negotiating on behalf of the BBC, Henman and

Barker, should one of them be forced to go on Strictly Come Dancing? The

answer is yes! I want to see that. I will pay anything. Increase the

licence fee! Let's do this. That is the only way we would be featured on

it! We would have to be forced! What a treat we have today. Andy Murray

making his first match here up against David Ferrer, who is always

such a dogged opponent, Ferrer. They are being introduced on to court

here, Ferrer first. Ladies and gentlemen, making his

seventh appearance at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, a winner of

35 titles, including two Grand Slam singles crowns, from Great Britain,

Andy Murray! A huge ovation for the home

favourite, Murray. It has not been his favourite tournament, this. He

has competed in it for a number of years and is yet to make the final.

On British soil at Wimbledon, the Olympic gold, numerous Davis Cup

successes, he plays so well. It has not worked for him here yet. Perhaps

not. When you are setting your standards that high, and playing

against the best in the world, it is never going to be easy. When you

reflect on the 12 months previous, there were big question marks not

only about his game, but Andy Murray's body after the back

surgery. I think the way that he's responded this year has been

magnificent. He's played so consistently well. That is reflected

in him being number two in the world. There is every chance he can

finish number two, which would be his best. I think he is ready not

only to put in a great performance this week, but also to give himself

the platform for Davis Cup next week. Yeah. If he wins two matches,

he has that number two spot. Talking of the Davis Cup, Andy has said how

difficult it is for him, he has been playing on clay-courts at Roehampton

and practising on the hard. He isn't one of the players who adapts so

quickly to clay. He's said his back, he has found it easy to go clay,

hard - he is excited about the next two weeks. He will go 100%.

UMPIRE: Any questions? No questions? You serve? Good. Photo first? Thank

you. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

We talk about Andy as well, and the fact that the pressure is on him.

All the talk is about the Davis Cup. Can they win it for Britain, can

they win it for the first time since 1936? He seems to deal with it so

well, or he hides it very well. Absolutely. It is the nature of the

beast in this country. It is something Murray has dealt with so

well throughout his career. We only have to reflect a few miles away to

Wimbledon, when he has dealt with the pressure so well, he has been

the first man to win in 77 years. Again, I think the mindset is always

so important and to understand that pressure is all self-inflicted. If

he is thinking about those different aspects, if he is thinking about the

Davis Cup history, the last time we were in a final in '78, the last

time we won it in the '30s, he is not focussed on his performance.

That is what he is so good at. When you look at the way he's competed in

the Davis Cup, the expectation is enormous. He is expected to win two

singles and then partner his brother to win the doubles. He continuously

goes out and delivers, so right now, it is very important for him to

focus on this match right now. He is playing against David Ferrer, who is

a great competitor. I think having watched the matches yesterday, the

court does look very abrasive, it looks like it is slow. So it will be

a battle out there. There will be long rallies. It is important that

Murray is the proactive one. He has to look to dictate to make Ferrer

doing the running, if he does that, he can come out on top. It will be a

fascinating match. This is the group that we are featuring today, the

Ilie Nastase Group - they are named after two of the legends of the

game, Ilie Nastase and Stan Smith. It is Murray against Ferrer this

afternoon, Wawrinka takes on Nadal tonight. That is the night match. So

a lot to look forward to here this afternoon. Last night, Roger Federer

was in action. We saw Novak Djokovic win in straight sets against

Nishikori in the afternoon match. Federer dropped his opening service

game, but got better and better. It was a commanding performance from

the world number three. He went through 6-4, 6-2 against Tomas

Berdych. We talk about Murray being the home favourite, there is no

question who the crowd favourite is because they come in their droves,

it almost feels like it is in Switzerland when Roger is playing,

so many fans here at the O2. Such a popular, the King of the Court and

GOAT - that is Greatest Of All Time! He lost to Isner last time out in

Paris. You have to do it again and again. After all the attention and

the adoration he gets, he knows he's got to go out there and do it. He is

now 34. He is the oldest man here. He is a proud competitor. He has to

get the job done. So, it was a good performance from him in the end

yesterday. I'm surprised he won so easily. Unshaven as well, which was

unusual. I know! He is such a stylish player. This tournament is

so wonderful. The top eight in the world. All the characters that we

know. Nadal later on tonight. I can't get enough of this tournament.

You mentioned the ages there, Federer is 34, Ferrer is 33, he is

the second oldest - Nishikori, the youngest, and Djokovic is the second

youngest. This whole group that we were expecting the likes of Raonic,

Dimitrov, those sort of players, we were expecting them to be featured,

but the golden oldies are staying. It is a reflection of the way the

players train, a reflection on the way the game has revolved, that

players are able to play longer. When you reflect on that younger

generation, you threw out the names of Raonic, Dimitrov, Kyrgios, it is

tough, these are such experienced campaigners, they will really have

to raise their game over the 11-month period from January to

November to try and get in an event like this. Federer was saying the

other night, that the generation that was coming up, the Raonic,

Dimitrov, that lot, haven't quite happened. He says things go in a

five-year cycle and he is surprised that one or two haven't pushed on a

bit. I don't know, maybe Roger goes on until he is 40! It is possible.

He is still as fit - and you look at the last two Grand Slams, he proves

it is not just three sets, it is five sets that he can still be at

his best. Very much so. He is in great shape. He is still very

strong. Also, an important factor is his schedule. He is selective about

which events he plays. When he is hoping to play five-set matches for

two weeks, he will be fresh and ready to go. He enjoys himself so

much. He really enjoys every aspect, whether it is the travel, the

training, or the tournament, he is out there to keep breaking records

and keep proving that he is one of the best in the world. Tim, what

will Jonas Bjorkman be telling Andy, or advising Andy against David

Ferrer? He's got such a workmanlike style, Ferrer, you know you will be

involved in a battle any time you play him? Very much so. When you

talk about Ferrer's level of performance, it is so consistent, on

a scale of one to ten, it will always be an eight. Whether he can

reach a nine against Murray, I don't think so. Murray knows if his

performance drops off, he will be in trouble. Ferrer is so consistent, he

is so fast around the court, he's going to make life difficult. This

is where Murray has to be proactive, he has the weapons, whether it is

the serve or the aggressive ground strokes to dominate Ferrer. Also, as

far as Murray is concerned, all these matches are just so important,

he's chasing, he wants to be finished world number two, he wants

the Davis Cup final. He said this hasn't put me off trying to play

this event, a big event before the Davis Cup final. He relishes taking

on the best players in the world. Absolutely. This is not only a

reflection of the work Andy does throughout his year, but also how

far his game has evolved from this time last year. I remember sitting

here and talking about the defeat to Roger Federer when he only won one

game. There were big question marks about him physically, his tennis

game and his relationship with Amelie Mauresmo. Now, Jonas Bjorkman

is in the equation. It has been an incredible 11 months. With these two

events, the ATP World Tour Finals, the Davis Cup in Belgium, it is a

great problem to have, they are two of the biggest events in our sport.

And Andy has an opportunity of winning them both. Absolutely.

Talking of problems to have, Leon Smith has a problem - who does he

pick for his number two? Will it be Kyle Edmund or Aljaz Bedene? Get in

touch with us on social media. But enjoy this match with Tim and Andrew

Castle. Number seven in the world, David

Ferrer. He has won in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, Vienna - that is getting the

miles up there. He puts a shift in every time he takes to the court.

The best form of defence is attack. Ferrer is a classic example of that.

We know he can defend against an attacking ball, but following in and

poking a volley away here and there, that makes him awkward. We will

watch for the sneak play. Still using "Sears"? They have Andy

Murray's wife. Expecting, huge things ahead. What an amazing time

in both their lives. Just too long. Trying to get his

forehand into play, Ferrer, skipping and dancing into the backhand

corner. You can really sense Ferrer is

trying to get on top of these points early on in the rally. It is

important that Murray keeps the ball out of that middle section of the

court. This is how these matches at the

World Tour Finals differ from regular tournaments. If this was a

semifinal in Paris, a quarterfinal of the French Open, it is match

number one. There is no chance to warm up into this tournament. We

need a good singles match here, and we might have it this afternoon.

From break-point down, a hold for Andy Murray. 1-0.

I was on that thing called The Underground, the Tube, the other

day, where you go on with members of the public! They were saying after

the Nishikori match with Djokovic, as I was in the queue down there,

they were saying that they didn't think Nishikori, a couple of them

were saying Nishikori didn't try yesterday against Djokovic. It

wasn't that. He was so outplayed in every area, he didn't have another

game to go to, as you were talking about. The scoreline 6-1, 6-1 looks

very one-sided and Nishikori was out there trying for every ball. It

shows the gulf in class. Pretty much a full house again here,

a few seats up at the top, the top tier at the O2 unoccupied, so

presumably around about 16,000 people watching the tennis today.

Ferrer with his good footwork, he is always looking to get around that

backhand to hit his forehand, to get his forehand into play. An effective

shot for Murray will be the backhand down the line. If he hits that well,

then he can open up Ferrer's backhand.

Wow! Great tennis already. Very entertaining match. The former

French Open Champion watching on. There was a lot of this slice and

dice when they played that match in Paris that Murray ended up winning a

couple of weeks ago, in straight sets. It was a masterclass at times.

There was a bit of Jonas Bjorkman in the tactics that Murray was using

that day. Plenty of drop shots, moving his opponent round.

So hard to put the ball away. Superb court speed from Andy Murray, 2-1.

It's hard to imagine there is somebody less engaged in social

media than Tim Henman. We have him for an hour or two here and we will

make him answer a couple of questions. Who would you pick for

the Davis Cup, that is our question. Lots of ways to get in touch. Who

would you pick for the Davis Cup at number two? It could be very

important. In the Davis Cup final against Belgium. You have Aljaz

Bedene, there is an appeal going on tomorrow as whether he can represent

Great Britain. He has a British passport, he is not allowed to play

because he played a couple of dead rubbers for Slovenia. Would you play

Bedene if the appeal wins, or would you play James Ward, or Dan Evans,

or Kyle Edmund? Would you play James Ward, who has just won in India? It

is amazing how it's evolved in a short period of time. After the

previous tie against Australia, there was no-one who was really

trying to grasp that second singles spot. And those boys have found some

form. A better problem for Leon Smith to have, but I don't

necessarily envy his decision. I will get a direct answer from you in

about five minutes! You should be looking at the Davis Cup captaincy

one day, too, as well as Strictly! A lot of talk about aggression in

tennis. That return was aggressive, inside the baseline, taking it

early, and hitting the ball firmly through the court. It handcuffed

Ferrer. This is so good. Right out of the

middle of the racquet! Clean hitting from both players.

We are only in the fourth game, but Ferrer is starting well, Murray

looking to take those opportunities going back behind Ferrer.

Half chance here at 15-30 to stamp his authority on this first set.

Murray won't be happy at giving away a donation there at 15-30.

APPLAUSE Andy Murray faked the cross-court,

pushed it down the line, Ferrer has been around the clay-courts of

Europe too much for that, he didn't fall for it, Tim.

Not quite. He looks to his left, watch this. Good for the highlight

reel, not for breaking serve. Had a bit of time.

Murray will be furious with that break point, get to the ball in good

time and fake him out with the head and not execute the shot properly.

Very nice. Break point saved, they called for Ferrer. Both players have

had opportunities. Good point from Ferrer but you would

like to see Murray finishing the point at the net with a forehand or

a backhand down the line. As fast as these players are it is a

good idea to hit bang, make them change direction. -- hit behind.

So powerful and so strong, the legs coming up through the ground. Look

at the rotation. Just ideal timing. Quality match. We are half looking

forward to the Davis Cup final as well. Who would you pick? James Ward

has one recently. Kyle Eastman recently won on clay.

Tim Henman. Who would you pick? And evidence? He cannot get a look in.

It is great to see him moving in the right direction, he has the ability

but not always the commitment. He would not be my pick. First and

foremost you would wait on the decision. I think it will be

narrowed down to James Ward and Kyle Edmond. James has done fantastically

well. He has taken this team a long way. I think he would get the nod.

It is a nice problem to have, I would be comfortable with either of

those players. I think that Kyle has proved himself a good player. He has

proved he can play on clay. James has proved he can play in the Davis

Cup arena. Either one of those guys, they can do themselves proud.

That was very well handled. The quality continues.

Raphael the Dell will be playing later on. It will be so good to have

him back. -- Rafael Nadal. Murray needs to get back to the

basics, set up an opportunity to direct these points.

He has made no secret, the priority is Davis Cup. Just one game at a

time, just one match at a time. Last year it was Roger Federer and

Stan Wawrinka on the verge of a Davis Cup final on clay. That is

what Andy Murray is going through. This is certainly important. With

the Davis Cup final at head, you cannot help but think a little bit

of what is to come. This is a classic scenario, you've just got to

take things one day at the time, one match at a time. Here he is on court

against Ferrer, you hear him say that he does not know what he is

doing. He is not that clear with his game plan. He just needs to think

about the basics. Trying to get on top in the rallies, when he gets

second serve opportunities, he can be aggressive. If he does that, he

can dominate against Ferrer. If he does not have a clear mindset then

Ferrer will make life difficult for him. He has got four victories this

year, four tournament. He stretched Novak Djokovic to one of the most

dramatic matches of the year in the semifinal of the French Open. You

would not want to be facing him on any surface. You would not want to

be going into the reverse singles, after Andy Murray destroyed the

Belgian in Paris. The loss of only one game. Amazing.

I wonder whether Andy Murray charged him for that lesson.

It is overruled, will Ferrer have a look at that? Yes. The ball was

good. He did ask. He has called it now. We saw that. He did request it.

The umpire has missed that. I did not see you ask for it. That is good

sportsmanship from Andy Murray. Exactly the right thing to do. This

is the official review. The previous one was just for us. Ferrer is a

little angry with the umpire. My bad. He is taking responsibility.

They are meant to get involved when there is a clear mistake. It is

pretty obvious he has made a clear mistake himself.

That is a wicked tennis points. Just fantastic. The amount of ways that

Andy Murray can come at you. The defensive lob was superb. Superb

stuff all the way round. His proactive best. Looking to dictate,

looking to dominate. Murray's court positioning on that

point, just on the baseline, looking to dictate. He has won every point

since he said, what am I doing here?

I think that forehand mess can be a little bit of a reaction from Ferrer

because he knows that he is going to drop the ball little bit short,

Murray is beginning to get offensive.

Mr Murray is challenging the call on the right sideline. Ball was called

out. Was that the right ball on the

baseline? Just long. That is why we've got

Hawk-Eye. You can see the implications for the top end of the

game. Did not think that one. Did not

sound like he moved like a ballet dancer but he certainly moved

quickly. It is one thing getting to the ball and another thing being

able to control it. Superb length. We have got a match

here. Nice early preparation here. They

are not stopping as he hits the ball, just moving through. Lending

some control. It is important he keeps that Bill,

keeps his nose in front. Andy Murray did well to cut the

angle off. He did not move just horizontally across the baseline, he

looked to cut the angle down, take time away from Ferrer and executed

his shot perfectly. It is the speed of movement, but

then having the control, flick that one down the line.

Fine hold after the disappointment of not capitalising on break points

in the previous game. The first brothers, Jamie and Andy,

in a season ending Championship since John and Patrick McEnroe.

Certainly adds a bit of spice to the doubles format. Most people in the

UK still playing doubles. I cannot believe Jamie is splitting with his

Australian partner after three years. It is surprisingly new

reflect on the success they've had. Qualified for the first time then

they are going to go their separate ways. It is just personal. There is

no other reason given. With that sort of success, why change a

winning game plan. Probably the closest singles match

we've had so far. This is one of these challenges that

is more for peace of mind. First point of an important game.

Mr Murray has one challenge remaining.

A couple of nervy points from Ferrer, you almost feel he is

playing the scoreboard and not the actual point.

Mr Ferrer is challenging the call on the right service line, ball was

called out. Just landing inside the baseline,

pushing it deep. Created the angle. The timing is everything. The

floated return. Two break points again.

Another double fault and it is first set to Andy Murray.

Good start for Andrew Murray. When we saw Roger Federer and Novak

Jarkko bitch go through in the other group. This is Murray 's macro first

match tonight. Between the Stan Wawrinka up against Rafael Nadal.

Lovely to see him back here. You can listen to it live on BBC Radio 5

Live sports extra. We have been asking you about who should play the

second singles match for Great Britain against Belgium next week.

Somebody said the best player available to take the pressure of

Andy Murray. Kyle says it has got to be James Ward, deserves to play in

the final. And another person said James Ward is the obvious choice. If

we had not beaten John Isner, we wouldn't be here. Playing for your

country, Davis Cup final, it is a huge match.

Whether he will stick with James Ward, who has proven himself in the

Davis Cup before. Kyle Edmund, the future of British tennis, will he

give him a chance? That is next week. But Andy Murray, the British

number one is going well here. No doubt Andy Murray will have a say in

who plays as number two as well. Will have to get to Belgium and

practice. It will be a feeling for the captain, Leon Smith. No doubt

Andy Murray has been consulted. What a challenge on clay in twin Azeris,

then don't get selected would be hard to take him, who is already top

100. First set, very much according to

plan for Andy Murray. Keeping his nose in front and getting the break

in the last game. Very important the intensity levels don't drop. Doesn't

want to let Ferrer back into the match. Such a matchplay is, Ferrer,

isn't he? Every year he tucks away 50 match

wins. Already this year, 55. His sixth appearance by right in this

season ending championship for the Spanish player. He came in last year

for one match. It is a break to Ferrer. Knife

through butter and 1-0. Talk about the British David 's cup hopes, the

Spanish, without this magnificent record in the Davis Cup have been

struggling. Conchita Martinez, the Davis Cup captain, had described the

running of the Spanish Federation as chaotic and belligerent of late. It

was confusion as to who was being consulted and he was made captain.

They are having absolute fits over there. They lost to Russia but in

Denmark. They are in the second tier of the Davis Cup at the moment.

Ferrer, played in that Davis Cup match. May have played in the match,

but he has problems with his second serve. Is he a bit EP on the ball

toss? It is a bit too far forward and too far to the right. So we

cannot get the top-spin, he has coming round the side of it.

Just looking at Ferrer. The ball was called in.

Murray set the points out extremely well. Then is normally so good with

the touch shots, the feel shots at the net, but just gave it a bit too

much air. The linesman's colleague on the long

line was perfect and minute ago. That is good as well, they are in

top form. Told you so. Seems to me the court is very

abrasive and slow. What Ferrer did well, was to use the angle. He

didn't try to beat Andy Murray with so much pace, but got him off the

court. If the ball toss is in the wrong

position, it means his body weight is going too far forward. You want

to make sure your energy is exploding upwards.

Always in trouble after he was made to play the harp Ollie. On this

Court, high bouncing, slow. -- heart Ollie. Still had to make it, Ferrer,

but a straightforward all. He doesn't go away this one. He still

believes. It is the beauty of the scoring

system in tennis. Murray as almost had the perfect start, winning the

first set and getting the break in the final game of the last set.

Building the momentum. In the space of ten minutes, you would almost

think Murray hast to hold serve here, because down a double break,

this set could go away. He will be thinking, where was this?

Dropped his serve to love, but this is comfortable.

Exhibition tennis. Timothy, I have got a stat for you. These are the

only two players undefeated after winning the first set on tour this

year. They are 102 after winning the first set between them. Can you

believe that, 102 matches after winning the first set. Good front

runners. Murray has 159 straight matches, after winning the first

set. Ferrer, 43 straight matches after winning the first set. Murray

is a setup. It is good start? It is, from Djokovic's point of view, which

much did he lose, what was the score against Stan Wawrinka? Give me a

minute. Djokovic is 74 and two and the last lot was indeed against Stan

Wawrinka in the final at Roland Garros. I congratulate you. Not even

read a note. Some good stats. Certainly from Murray's point of

view. 66% first serves is a good map number for him in the match. Murray

has one 67% of points on his second serve, Ferrer, 42.

Like he is out for a stroll, when he plays shots like this. Almost an

exhibition match. It is horrible when they go over your head because

you know you are going to get done! Certainly seen Andy Murray

concentrate better than I have seen at the moment. You know he is

thinking about the Davis Cup, playing in front of a home crowd. He

is engaged and playing beautifully and winning, but... Makes me nervous

when he starts moaning. Six double faults in the match,

three in this set already. Six in the last three service games. Now

Ferrer has got the opportunity, got the break of serve, he doesn't want

to be giving it back. One of the stewards in a high

visibility jacket in row five to Andy Murray's left. He is noticing

everything at the minute, as people are coming in.

Every time Murray is distracted, whether he is noticing a steward or

a spectator in their seat, or the dialogue going back to the box. He

is not thinking about the next points. He is good enough to get

away with it against some players, but when he is playing a competitor

at the world tour final, David Ferrer, he is asking for trouble.

It is a lot closer to the line than he meant it to be. A lack of

concentration. He should have very best into the service box. --

buried. Never had the best of Smashers, so even more reason to

concentrate on that shot. They have played some very intense

matches. Miami, 2013, it went 7-6 in the final set. Ferrer at the end of

it was cramping and struggling to finish. That is how fit Murray is.

Indoor match like this is unlikely to take that much out.

Crowd a little confused with this at the moment. He is certainly distract

it, Murray. He has an obstinate opponent. It didn't happen with Ivan

Lendl sat over there. It is not a criticism, just an observation. When

your concentration goes you are moving away from your game style.

When Ivan Lendl was in charge, Andy Murray was more calculated with the

way he wanted to play. Every time there was a distraction and this

chat goes back and forth, you are not thinking about the next one.

That is when his game can have peaks and troughs, in terms of his level

of intensity and consistency. Is it because he is but much better than

Ferrer, even though Ferrer is a world-class player, he can afford to

take his foot off? The predicament is, when he comes up against

Djokovic or Roger Federer, you cannot ingrain these bad habits.

That is what is so impressive that Djokovic, he has elevated his games

to new heights. He has the same focus of concentration, whether it

is in practice, tournaments or grand slam finals. With Ferrer, there is

much more variation. -- Murray. Seven double faults now. Getting a

bit cross now. Goes back to the ball toss. When it is in the wrong place,

certainly to far right, cannot get the top-spin and doesn't have the

margin for error. Love 15, second serve. Having just

served a double fault, Murray won't be happy with missing that.

Doesn't mess and of these over the course of a season, the past

crosscourt. Wonderful shot. 15-30. Fabulous touch. The backhand return

had Ferrer off-balance. Then he came underneath the ball. Watch the ball

react of this surface. It stops, head to the right, it takes it away

from the opponent coming in. Two break points.

If it had been seven or eight inches higher, it would have been an easier

volley. Credit to Ferrer. Yes! Self point, that. -- turf. You

know when you have done the fitness work. That is Murray engaged, at his

very best. When he plays like that and focuses like that, he plays

really tennis. The challenge for him, is to do it point in, point

out. He's not going to do it every point, but when he plays like

that... Amazing. That was hard for Ferrer to handle. Variation, the

movements, the timing and the power. He has got it there, he just needs

to do it more often. New tennis balls. They will be fluffed up quite

quickly on this surface. Arms down and it was... Absolutely

perfect. In terms of making volleys in a difficult position, there is

nobody better than Andy Murray at the moment. Roger Federer can

volley, of course. It is all a bit different. The net play of the top

players. All of them can put a floating ball away, but the

technique to make something where nothing exists. Like you, Timothy.

Kind of a dying art. Murray going to work on Ferrer's

forehand return here. Two out wide, two down the middle. Ferrer should

be covering it. Interesting after the first point after Ferrer hit a

clean winner. He has become quite a spokesperson

has Andy Murray. Is happy to do interviews in the days leading up to

this and when the Russian Brooks and all came out, he came out to talk

about the vigilance required on the drug testing front for tennis. The

day of the Russian report and all that has been going on, he was woken

up at seven o'clock in the morning for a blood and during test at home.

He said, it is absolutely fine by me. He reckons he has been tested

between 20 and 30 times this year. He is very happy and very quick to

say, I agree with this. He takes a big leadership role these days? He

does, we talked about Djokovic and the way he conducts themselves, we

have great ambassadors setting the standards for the younger generation

coming up and drug testing has to be a part of that. We have to make sure

we have a level playing field. The whereabouts rule is the difficulty

for these players. The drug testers have to know where you are 365 days

of the year? Absolutely right. It is not every minute, but the players

have to guarantee one hour every day where they will be. If the drug

testers turn up and you are not where you said you're going to be,

three strikes and you're out. Murray will be looking to get

another break of serve and finish this match off.

Look at the second bounce, six feet from the net and going out wide?

Big mess but a fine second serve, depth, into the body. Great second

serve given the circumstances. Four straight points. That is the

sort of stuff he is made of. 4-4, second set. The quality of the

ground strokes. We speak about the fitness. That was a fine hold.

Admirable. Andy Murray continually going to the

forehand side. You would think Ferrer might hedge his bets a little

bit. If you are just coming in these are

the season-ending championships. After they have all played each

other in their groups, they will play each other. This is the closest

singles match we have had so far. Later on, Rafael Nadal in the same

group, he will play Stanislas Wawrinka in what should be a

wonderful contest. Nobody in this group has our chilly -- has actually

won this competition. When you think that Novak Djokovic has won four,

Roger Federer has six, it is slim pickings for everybody else.

I think Rafael Nadal has a good point, should it be on play every

now and then? -- on clay. Apart from the last shot, I'm not

sure what he wanted to do. Just looking at the sideline, he played a

shot almost waiting for the call. Just on the outside edge. Still a

big opportunity. He has missed that! He will not miss

many of those in the course of the season. Andy Murray made enough of a

move to his left, perhaps. After a half-volley that landed in the

middle of the court, Murray has match point.

That is that! Andy Murray is off to a winning start at the World Tour

Finals. Was not always comfortable. Ferrer has played his part.

The world number two, the top man in his group can sit back down and

watch Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal. He just needs to win two

matches for another feather in his cap. Good work. Important to get a

victory at head of the Davis Cup final. Apart from one lapse of

concentration that lasted 15 minutes, very impressive. Just as he

did in Paris a couple of weeks ago, Murray dismissing Ferrer in straight

sets without being pushed too far. Hitting the ball as clean as a

whistle. No injuries and no great drama for Andy Murray to deal with.

Concentrating hard on the second set and he got the job done. It is not

over for Davitt forever, this is round robin, he now needs to play

Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal -- not over for David Ferrer.

Second serve points, Murray was dominant. The winner was Andy

Murray. Congratulations, Andy. Ferrer is never an easy opponent,

give us your assessment of the match. It was a tough match with a

lot of long rallies. He obviously fought right through the silly end

as always, and made it extremely difficult for me -- fought right

through until the end. I played more solid at the end of both sets which

got me the wind. We have seen you sneaking into the net, we also saw

drop shots. Does this court suit all types of play? I think so. It is

fair for all the players. You see a variety of points. A lot of points

up at the net. I think there was a good variety of tennis out there and

it would be good if more of the courts were like that. Often they

are extremely slow and people play from the baseline. Tell us about the

mindset going into these games. Every match is like a semifinal.

What is the mindset? Obviously you need to try to win every game. A few

years ago I got knocked out by one game in the group stages. You need

to try to win them in two sets, which was good for me today. I could

still go out. Just because I won my first match, there are no guarantees

and I need to win the next one, and it will be difficult. Happy to be

back here? All the players love this event. That is why it is staying

here for a few more years. The atmosphere is fantastic, it is

packed from the first match and all the doubles players love it because

everybody comes and watches those matches to start the day off. My

brother is playing at it as well this year, which is great. It is

obviously going to be a busy couple of weeks. Hopefully both of us can

play well. You will have plenty of support. It is lovely that he can

just drive home after playing here. What a super performance. His form

dropped at the start of the second set. Good start. This is the group,

confirmation of the result tonight. Stan Wawrinka versus Rafael Nadal.

You can hear that on radio five live sport extra. That is at 8pm. We will

be back tomorrow and the match we have got is Tomas Burdick against

Kei Nishikori. Must win match for one of those players to keep their

hopes alive. Five in a row against Ferrer. That

is impressive because he is one of the great battle is. Absolutely. In

the context of this event, straight sets victory, the world number 7 to

get off to a good start is very good. When you look at the

performance and start analysing it, to compete against the best players

there are too many peaks and troughs in his intensity. If you look at the

last six games, he focused his mind, he was clear in his game plan, he

looked to dictate and he played great tennis. You look at the other

stages, when he starts this dialogue, he is not focused on the

next point. He gives his opponent the opportunity to be the proactive

one. There is good stuff there but there is plenty to work on. He will

always have a bit of big, that is part of his DNA. It fires him up. We

picked up some good points because there was great play at either end

of the net and Andy Murray is so hard to play. Just dominating the

points. When he starts to push his opponents around he is so effective.

The you remember when they were saying, get more proactive. This is

almost like a tune-up. He is putting this guy away in straight sets. He

is seven foot inside the baseline. He defends in a world-class manner.

He make this look so easy. It was a great drop shot. He is not only able

to get to the ball in a great time but those were great moments. He did

not break in that game but his athletic ability and balance has

never been in question. He was working out last week and getting

his heart rate above 180 on the monitor. That is why you do that so

you can do this. The variety that he showed was good, he was mixing it up

so well it was working. That is right, and it will be relevant

against Ferrer because if you just play him from the baseline it will

be difficult but if you can start to get him out of position, Andy Murray

has always used the drop shot well. He emphasised the point about the

surface and it was an effective tactic. He will need to play as

well. It is a difficult group. Difficult matches. I cannot wait to

see that. Think about his life at the moment. He has got a baby on the

way, the Davis Cup final, he could finish the year as world number two,

it is all going his way. He should be enjoying himself. I expect him to

get through the group. It has been another great year. With the

greatest of respect to everyone out there, Kyle, James, Dan doing well,

there is nobody else like this in the pipeline and I think we all know

that. Enjoy him whilst he is year. Another three years of this. And

also, just the way he handles the pressure, he does it so well,

because you know what it is like. He does. I can say that he needs to

focus on a little bit more of certain points but in the grand

scheme of things, the way that he focuses on his preparation, he is

the ultimate professional. He is such a good role model for those

kids who want to follow in his footsteps. Thank you very much.

Wonderful afternoon year in London, straight sets victory from Andy

Murray, he marches on. A lot to look forward to throughout the week. Join

us from 2pm. Goodbye for now.