NEWSPost India

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal laid to rest the demons of his 2009 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals campaign on Monday evening as he came from behind to defeat Andy Roddick 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in his first Group A match at The O2. However, he noted before the tournament that for him, it would take a greater effort to defeat at least four of the Top 8 players indoors than to win seven matches in a Grand Slam championship. Nadal has qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals six years in a row and peaked with semi-final showings in 2006-2007, losing to Roger Federer on both occasions. He has a 44-26 career record indoors.

“[To] win a match here is very important for me,” said Nadal, who next will face Novak Djokovic on Wednesday evening. “I can play with a little bit more calm the next match. But even if I lose the next match, I’m still going to have chances to be in the semis. So that’s relaxing me a little bit more. Is very positive victory for me and very, very important.” Playing his first match in five weeks, after a shoulder injury kept him sidelined at the BNP Paribas Masters, Nadal endured a slow start, paying the price for two double faults in his first service game as Roddick quickly opened up a 3-0 lead. Nadal was unable to break down Roddick’s defences, despite two chances to break in the fifth game, and the American went on to secure a one-set lead.

The eighth-seeded Roddick then drew first blood in the second set as he effectively out-maneuvered Nadal to lead 2-1. His lead was short-lived, though, as Nadal immediately struck back courtesy of a rare, wayward forehand from Roddick. In the ensuing tie-break, Nadal’s superior tennis on the clutch points proved decisive as he forced a third set – the first of the tournament so far. With the bit between his teeth, Nadal broke decisively in the fifth game of the final set and went on to seal his first victory at The O2 in two hours and 34 minutes, loudly cheered by Kylie Minogue, who sat courtside for the encounter.

“I was a little bit lucky tonight,” admitted Nadal. “That’s the truth. But at the same time I started the match a little bit nervous. Five weeks without play. Playing against the best players of the world in the more difficult surface for me, the first match will always be difficult. “I think I was very close to losing, that’s true. I was in critical situation when I lost my serve [in the second set] because that’s the normal thing. You play against one of the best servers of the world; I wasn’t feeling very well on court. What I can do is try to keep playing with positive attitude, try to play a little bit better, and wait [for] the chance. It happened. For that reason, I am here today for the victory.”

The 24-year-old Nadal improved to a staggering 68-9 match record on the season. He has won seven tour-level titles from eight finals, including three successive majors at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open, making him the youngest player in the Open Era to achieve the career Grand Slam. He will finish the year No. 1 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings for the second time. The 28-year-old Roddick was playing on the Centre Court at The O2 for the first time after being forced to miss the prestigious eight-man event last year due to injury. He has qualified for the season finale eight years in a row and reached the semi-finals three times.

In his ninth meeting with the Spaniard, and first since beating him in the Sony Ericsson Open semi-finals in April, Roddick pinpointed the tie-break as being the turning point in the contest. “It hinged on the breaker. The two points I feel won him the match were when he hit two really good second serve returns there in the breaker.

“I thought I played well tonight. I thought I had a game plan. I thought I executed it,” reflected the American, who next will face Tomas Berdych on Wednesday afternoon. “I think the energy was great. It was fun playing tonight. I think it’s the way a [Barclays ATP] World Tour Finals should look. It’s the best atmosphere I’ve played in as far as this event goes.”