TO THE VICTOR: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic pose with their trophies after their singles final at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on Sunday. Picture: REUTERS
RAFAEL Nadal is on the verge of finishing the year as the world No. 1 after opening his ATP World Tour Finals campaign with a 6-3 6-2 win over David Ferrer on Tuesday.
Nadal arrived at London’s O² Arena still smarting from a surprise loss against fellow Spaniard Ferrer in the semifinals of the Paris Masters on Saturday, but he was quick to avenge that defeat with an emphatic victory in 74 minutes.
The win means he will be guaranteed to end this year at the top of the world rankings, ahead of second-placed Novak Djokovic, if he beats either Tomas Berdych or Stanislas Wawrinka in his remaining Group A fixtures at the prestigious season-ending event.
It will be the third time Nadal has finished a year in pole position and the first since 2010. If he does end up in top spot, it will complete what the 13-time Grand Slam champion regards as the most satisfying year of his illustrious career.
When Nadal returned in February after a seven-month battle to recover from knee tendinitis, his ranking had dropped to No. 5 in the world — his lowest position since 2005 — and he was worried if he would ever recapture his top form.
But he showed no signs of having lost a step as he stormed to his eighth French Open title and then won the US Open, as well as claiming eight other titles. With his place among the elite firmly re-established, a maiden triumph at the Tour Finals would be the perfect way to cap Nadal’s campaign.
Nadal had this week called for the Tour Finals to be played on a different surface each year, to be fair to players who specialise in clay and grass-court tennis, but he looked comfortable enough on the O² Arena’s hard courts as he broke Ferrer in the opening game of the match.
Ferrer had won just five of his 25 meetings with Nadal, however he was unbeaten in their only two previous indoor encounters and the world No. 3 hit back with an immediate break of his own.
That was the last time he troubled Nadal, who was gifted another break for a 4-2 lead thanks to a pair of careless forehands from the out-of-sorts Ferrer, who made 33 unforced errors in total.
Ferrer was looking increasingly unsettled by Nadal’s barrage and he cracked again in the second game of the second set before another break for a 4-0 lead effectively sealed the world No. 1’s win.