Andy Murray began his opening match at the World Tour Finals with a thumping ace down the middle. The rest of the first game against David Ferrer settled into a slugfest, setting the tone for Monday’s clash in Group Ilie Nastase.
Just as he did at the Paris Masters nine days ago, Murray defeated the Spaniard, this time by a score of 6-4 6-4 at the O2 Arena in London.
Although he is bidding to win the year-end championships for the first time — he has not yet reached the final — Murray is preoccupied by what comes after the tournament, the Davis Cup final.
Great Britain travels to Belgium on November 27, one victory away from claiming a first title in the elite men’s team competition since 1936, and if the visitors are to prevail, the 28-year-old needs to be ready physically. He will probably feature on all three days of the best-of-five match series on clay.
So beating the ever tenacious Ferrer in straight sets in 1½ hours on the indoor hard court was especially good for the Scot. He was keen to avoid the type of marathon encounter he endured against Ferrer in the Miami final in 2013 — that match, in oppressive heat, lasted nearly three hours — or in last year’s Vienna final, where he battled back from a set down.
And only last week, Murray practiced on clay, mindful of the upcoming tie in Ghent.
“It’s a different surface here, but playing matches against the best players in the world is also fantastic preparation” for the Davis Cup final, Murray told reporters. “I changed my schedule and the way I’ve trained over the last two months … to make sure I am fresh for this part of the season, which hasn’t always been the case.
“I’ve only played two tournaments in the last six or seven weeks. I feel good just now. Hopefully I can perform well here and in Belgium.”
Murray is now one win away from finishing the season at No. 2, which would be a first, behind dominant No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
It would be a reward for what he has called his most consistent year, making the Australian Open final and semifinals at the French Open and Wimbledon — although, ever the perfectionist, Murray likely feels he could have forced the issue more against Roger Federer at the All England Club.
Murray was broken to end every set in his 7-5 7-5 6-4 defeat in July, and Ferrer suffered the same fate Monday, cracking on serve to conclude both sets.
Unusually for Ferrer, who many would argue has overachieved in his career, he was let down by double faults. He struck eight in total without hitting an ace.
Besides his ace in the first game, Murray added three more, without contributing a double fault.
“I served bad the end of the first set and also in the second set,” Ferrer told reporters, adding that serving well against fellow top-10 players is important.
“Anyway, in important moments he was better than me. He played more aggressive than me. In the end of both sets, I didn’t play so good.”
Federer said after brushing aside Tomas Berdych on Sunday that the court was playing slow. There was nothing to suggest otherwise a day later, and both Murray and Ferrer sought to shorten points by coming to the net. There were also more than a few drop shots.
The combination brought relief for those not enamored with incessant baseline rallies.
The match might have been different had the 2007 runner-up — now a loser in seven of his last eight matches against Murray — converted a break point in the opening game. Attempting to force the issue or hit a clean winner, he missed a forehand long.
Murray — watched by pregnant wife Kim Sears — squandered his own break chances, particularly in the eighth game, but then recovered in the 10th.
He was immediately broken to love to begin the second set, although he broke back for 3-3 when he forced Ferrer into an forehand error following a lengthy rally.
Murray raised his arm and clenched his fist, roared on by a partisan crowd. Predictably, he duly sealed the contest moments later, officially putting away Ferrer with a gentle overhead.
He awaits the winner of Monday’s evening contest between Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal.
When they squared off in Paris earlier this month, Wawrinka won a 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (9-7) thriller to quell Nadal’s recent momentum.
Djokovic, who routed Kei Nishikori on Sunday, and Federer tangle in Tuesday’s standout match.