This is Wawrinka’s third straight win over Murray, although Murray has an 8-7 overall head to head advantage still.
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Djokovic lost 7-5 6-2 to six-times champion Federer in the group stage of the finals as the Serbian’s three-year unbeaten run indoors ended on Tuesday while Wawrinka overcame him in this year’s French Open final, but his dismantling of Nadal was ominous for whoever he faces in the final.
Djokovic levelled his head-to-head record with Nadal – they’ve each won 23 times – and emerged triumphant in eight of the past nine.
“It doesn’t matter if I was qualified”, Nadal said.
“For me it was another opportunity to compete. Three straight wins against top-eight players, that’s a great news for me”.
Oh, a dead rubber with $167,000 – the amount received by the victor in a group match – at stake. Nadal accepts, though, that the prospect of taking on the world No. 1 represents a different challenge entirely.
Djokovic, meanwhile, collected his 30th win this season against top-10 opposition. But Nadal knew it would make no sense to play in London if he felt as he did a few months ago, when he was not enjoying being on the court, and had no faith that he would be his usual competitive self when he was. Only a weekend loss by Federer would hand Murray a season-record finish.
Nadal’s recent upturn hasn’t gone unnoticed by Djokovic.
“For me the main thing is keep going the same way, keep practicing the same way, the same things I am doing to try to start next year with that energy that I have today”, Nadal said on Friday, according to ESPN. “I don’t know about your wife, but I’m allowed to”.
I expect Federer will probably win this one, but it’s hardly a tempting proposition at [1.36], given the game that Wawrinka possesses – as ever with him it’s a case of what he’ll produce on the day. I think it was a very good match in terms of quality for moments.
The two battled in the second set until Nadal was able to break Ferrer’s serve to even the match.
Ferrer surged to 16 of 20 points in the next four games to build a 4-3 lead at the O2 Arena.
He fought back from 5-2 down in the second set to have a point for 5-5 before succumbing in one hour and 54 minutes. He is 9-0 in sets in 2015. I made too many mistakes.
The sixth game showcased the all-round backhand power of Wawrinka, first a victor down the line, then one crosscourt for a love hold, 4-2. Ferrer saved all of them. Slumping for much of 2015, the left-hander beat three top-10 players in a row in Wawrinka, Andy Murray and David Ferrer.
There seemed to be a bit of resistance coming from Murray, getting his first break in the set, then subsequently holding his serve for 4-5. A final twist didn’t materialize.
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While Federer and Nadal’s epic clashes down the years have led their rivalry to be regarded as the sport’s must-see match-up, the Spaniard’s duels with Djokovic have grown increasingly ferocious since their first meeting way back in 2006. He possesses the firepower to hit through the Scot’s fine defense – and did it again.
