Andy Murray v Fernando Verdasco: Straight-sets win over Verdasco would seal Scot berth in last four of World Tour Finals

Published on Wednesday 25 November 2009 22:44

LOSE in a normal tennis tournament and that's it, you're out. Lose here at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and all it does is make your task a lot clearer.

That, at least, is how Andy Murray is looking on his loss to Roger Federer on Tuesday night. Yes, the result was disappointing, although hardly a surprise given the way the Scot served, but it will count for nothing if he beats Fernando Verdasco this afternoon in straight sets.

Regardless of the outcome of the late match between Federer and Juan Martin del Potro, a two-sets-to-love win for Murray against the Spaniard will ensure him of a top-two finish in Group A, and therefore a place in the semi-finals. If he drops a set and wins, or even if he loses, he will still have a chance, but he knows there is no point in dwelling on such permutations.

To get that straight-sets victory, however, the Scot will need to rediscover the clinical form which he badly missed against Federer. At his best there is no stopping Murray when he gets in front in a match, even against his toughest rivals. More recently, as he reflected, he has lacked that consistency.

"I've had letdowns in a lot of matches," Murray said. "I've let guys back in the match straight away, early in the second set. And that's something I was doing really, really well when I was playing a lot, at the beginning of the year. When I was getting ahead, I was not giving guys chances to come back into the matches. That's something that, these last few tournaments of the year, I've not done so well."

Verdasco has not been on top form either, having lost to Federer and Del Potro. On paper, it looks like the ideal chance for Murray to claim a place in the last four and if he does that, he will not dwell on the manner of his loss to Federer. "The only important thing is to try and qualify from the group," he continued. "Whether you win one match, three matches, two matches. Last year I won three then lost in the semis. This year I could potentially lose two matches and win the tournament."

To do that may mean playing Federer again, and winning such a swift rematch would be a tall order. Having been confirmed as the year-ending world No 1 by his win over Murray, the Swiss player is in buoyant mood.

"That was one of my big goals for the season," he said of reclaiming the top ranking. "And it's one of the greatest performances I've achieved, seeing also what happened off the court – getting married, having twin girls. Reaching all four major finals, playing so well at the most important moments, has been the key this year, and staying healthy. Especially after having a rough 2008, coming back this year and being able to dominate and play at the top when the depth in tennis is so great at the moment, it's a wonderful achievement."

If he wins, Federer will top the group and progress to a semi-final against the runner-up from Group B: if he loses, he could go out. By the time they come out on to court, he and his Argentine opponent will know precisely what they need to do to avoid elimination, but he insisted they would simply concentrate on trying to win.

"I don't think the players think too much, 'are we through or not?' So many times we have had the situation that the player needed something and the other thing happened.

"Matches are always played full on. I remember matches like (Albert] Costa against (Carlos] Moya in Shanghai 2002, they could have knocked out (Lleyton] Hewitt if Costa had won. Moya ended up winning in three, Hewitt came through, ended up winning the tournament. This stuff just doesn't happen. That's why, no matter if you play first or second, you play as good as you can, and then you see if you're through or not.

"The only advantage or disadvantage is now I guess I'll know if I'm through or not before my match."

If Murray and Federer do meet again in the knockout stages, the Wimbledon champion does not expect to have as easy a victory as Tuesday night's match ultimately became. Having experienced the odd off-day himself, he is not reading too much into the way Murray fell apart in the last set. "The wheels came off for Andy. It just happens sometimes. These best-of-three-set matches are tough, especially when the best players play each other."