Group A: Second round robin preview
Related Articles
Featured
Williams pulls out of Paris after Grand Slam exploits
The world No.1 has withdrawn from the Paris Indoor Open to recover from the leg injury picked up at the Aussie Open
Latest Category Articles
Juan Martin del Potro (5) vs Fernando Verdasco (8)
Start: Tuesday 24 November, 14:15
Head to head: del Potro 0/0 Verdasco
Bloodied in battle on the way to a three sets defeat to Andy Murray in Sunday’s opener, Juan Martin del Potro could do with biting back instantly against World No. 8 Fernando Verdasco today.
Losing all five opening games to Murray with a languid style incongruous to his usually remarkably quick feet, the 6ft 6 Argentine looked short of the fitness that had taken him to US Open glory two months ago.
Abdominal and wrist injuries that affected del Potro’s preparation for the World Tour Finals turned into a nose-bleed and an (albeit brief) problem with his ankle on Sunday.
Describing the incident, a deadpan del Potro said: “I have a big nose. I think that is my problem.
“I’ve had it before and it just starts bleeding although I don’t know why. It didn’t bother me. Andy just started a lot quicker.”
Despite a slow start, del Potro’s second set display instantly buried the memory of the lethargic first. Colossal forehands were not only beyond the reach of Murray, but surely beyond the resistance threshold of the strings on the Murray racket, had the Scot been able to get near enough to make contact.
Eventually losing 6-2 in the third set after Murray regained control, del Potro will look to bounce back from his opening day defeat when he faces leftie Verdasco for the first time on the senior tour today (Tuesday).
The Spaniard took Federer to the brink of defeat in the opening round and was just two points away from seizing the opportunity to serve for the match, but failed to convert his chance and watched Federer turn the tide before easing through the third set 6-1.
“I had my chances at 5-5, 0-30 – tennis is like that,” Verdasco said. “After that my fitness was going down and he also got confidence, and the match changed. It was not nerves.”
With both players knowing a win is imperative to their chances of making the semi-final, there will be no room for nerves here.
Our Prediction: No more nosebleeds, del Po swinging through in two
Andy Murray (4) vs Roger Federer (1)
Start: Tuesday 24 November, 20:45
Head to head: Murray 6/3 Federer
The fixture we have all been waiting for. World No. 1 Roger Federer takes on home favourite Andy Murray for the first time on British soil. And with Federer so used to the support of the British crowd – they’ve cheered him through all six of his Grand Slam victories on the lawns of SW19 – we can expect an electric atmosphere inside the O2 arena.
Murray faces the Fed Express on the back of a solid win over the gargantuan Juan Martin del Potro – the man responsible for kicking off a mini-slump in Federer’s form with that astonishing five set victory in the US Open final.
Since losing to the young Argentine, Federer was defeated by Novak Djokovic in the final of his home tournament in Basel, Switzerland, before being unceremoniously dumped out of the Paris Masters in the second round by Julien Benneteau.
But Murray, with six ATP titles to his name this season, believes defeating Federer holds the same allure as always.
“Any win against Federer, at any time, is not to be sniffed at and you have to take those chances when they come along,” Murray said.
“I like to win every match I play.”
Lest we forget, Federer has made the final of all four Grand Slams in 2009, adding both the French Open and Wimbledon to his over-stuffed trophy cabinet. The Swiss maestro rarely fails in the matches that really matter, and Murray’s 6-3 career record against Federer can be soundly tossed aside once the first ball is struck this evening.
Referring to the three-hour epic that Murray clinched to eliminate him from the same competition in Shanghai last year, the ever-confident Federer said:
‘‘I hope we can live up to the expectations and play another good one. Obviously I expect a difficult match.
“It’s always fun playing your rivals.’‘
Our prediction: Well the crowd are in for a treat… What? You try and predict this one…
Doubles:
12:30 – (3) Mahesh Bhupathi (IND)/Mark Knowles (BAH) vs. (8) Mariusz Fyrstenberg (POL)/Marcin Matkowski (POL)
7:00 – (1) Daniel Nestor (CAN)/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) vs. (5) Frantisek Cermak (CZE)/Michal Mertinak (SVK)
Follow all the action on twitter at tennisheadlive
