Andy Murray’s preparation for the Davis Cup final took a dent as Rafael Nadal demolished the Scot in an hour and 31 minutes at the World Tour Finals. Stan Wawrinka is in action later against David Ferrer.
Rafael Nadal produced one of his most dominant performances of the year to beat Andy Murray 6-4, 6-1 at the World Tour Finals in London.
The fifth-seed rediscovered his zip and strength as Murray struggled to cope with his forehand on the hard indoor courts. The Scot was edging out Nadal 4-5 in the first set before he squandered five break points and the Spaniard took the first set.
The second set was little contest with Murray losing his focus and committing a number of unforced errors. With a cross-court forehand, the 29-year-old secured the win in just over 90 minutes.
“The sport in general is simple,” said Nadal. “When I hit the ball and I know the ball will go in, when I don’t think about how to hit the ball, when I think just about where to hit it, that’s good news.
“This year, I’ve been worried about how to hit the ball, not to miss, rather than hit the ball where I can damage the opponent. I have been more worried about myself than the opponents for a lot of matches. Like that it’s impossible to compete at the highest level. Today I feel free. That means I’m happy.”
World number three Murray, who beat Nadal in their previous meeting in Madrid, was candid about his performance as he looks to secure second place in the world rankings. “I served an extremely low percentage of first serves, maybe the lowest percentage I have served the whole year in any match,” said Murray who represents Great Britain in the Davis Cup final at the end of the month.
Swiss world number four Stanislas Wawrinka takes on Spaniard David Ferrer on Wednesday evening at the O2 Arena. Murray concludes his group campaign against Wawrinka on Friday, while Nadal takes on Ferrer.
rd (AFP, RTRE)
