ATP World Tour finals day 4: Murray meets Nadal for top spot
Published:
Jamie Clark, Sports Editor | November 17, 2015
2015 ATP World Tour Finals
Andy Murray needs one more win this season to confirm himself at tennis’ world number two going into 2016, but faces a tussle for top spot in Group Ilie Nastase against resurgent Rafael Nadal.
Also in action on day four of the 2015 ATP World Tour Finals are first round robin match losers Stan Wawrinka and David Ferrer.
Coral tennis writers preview another couple of top-class tennis matches from this end of year event in London.
Andy Murray v Rafael Nadal
- Group Ilie Nastase
- Wednesday, November 18th
- Scheduled for: 14:00 GMT
- O2 Arena, London
- Live on Sky Sports 1 and BBC2
It’s six wins apiece in previous hard court clashes between the second and fifth seeds, and Murray emerged victorious from his only meeting with Nadal this year on the Spaniard’s beloved clay surface in the Madrid Masters final.
That explains why Great Britain’s number one is an odds-on 2/7 match favourite on home soil. Dropping just five games against Wawrinka was hugely impressive, however, and a nifty Nadal free from injury is a dangerous foe.
An 11/8 price to defeat Murray is not without appeal, though this match may have to go to a third set for the Spanish sensation to finish the job.
It took a decider in their last ATP World Tour Finals clash back in 2010 to separate these two, and Nadal is 7/2 to repeat that 2-1 scoreline here. Murray, meanwhile, is 11/4 for that margin of victory.
Stan Wawrinka v David Ferrer
- Group Ilie Nastase
- Wednesday, November 18th
- Scheduled for: 20:00 GMT
- O2 Arena, London
- Live on Sky Sports 1
Swiss number two Wawrinka took a previous a ATP Tour Finals fixture in three sets against Spanish counterpart Ferrer two years ago, while their hard surface head-to-head record reads two wins apiece.
Punters can enhance Wawrinka’s status as odds-on 8/13 match favourite to 11/4 if they fancy a repeat result at the 2015 edition of this tournament.
Ferrer is far from a big match outsider at 5/4, because he is 7-6 up on career meetings with this opponent, but being seeded seventh meant it always looked highly likely that he would finish bottom of this pool.
The nature of Wawrinka’s thrashing by Nadal was far more surprising that Murray’s victory over Ferrer, but back the late-blooming Swiss to respond and keep himself in the hunt for a semi-final spot.
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