ATP Finals Preview Day Five: Nadal And Tsonga For Semifinal

(November 23, 2011) With one semifinalist in Group B already decided, the final spot will be decided between Rafael Nadal and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga when they clash for the ninth time in their careers. In the other match, Roger Federer will try to improve to a perfect record in the round robin stage when he takes on the winless Mardy Fish.

The most compelling story of the day may be how World No. 2 will rebound after the 61-minute beating that Nadal received on Tuesday at the hands of Federer. Limiting the Spaniard to only eight points on return, Federer was never pushed by the man that has possessed a stranglehold on their head-to-head matches in the past.

Despite being rather perturbed by questions about the loss in his post match interview, Nadal made sure to focus on the fact that he just needs one win against Tsonga to advance to the semifinal stage. History will be on his side, as the Spaniard holds a commanding 6-2 record over the Frenchman, including a 6-0, 6-2, 6-4 victory in their most recent clash.

One would have to expect that a player like Nadal would have to feel some form of shock after watching 28 winners fly past him in such a quick match. He will have to compete with a player with a similar aggression level in Tsonga, who has enjoyed success against Nadal on a faster court this year in his win in London.

In that win at Queen’s Club, Tsonga hit 25 aces and surrendered only one break. The Frenchman will need to play up to that standard if he hopes to qualify for the semifinal stage for the first time in his career.

The lame duck of the day will pit Federer against Fish with both of their fates already decided. Federer will qualify for the semifinal regardless of the result, but will be looking to repeat his perfect five-victory performance from last year.

Despite a career-best season for Fish, the two players have not met since Cincinnati of last year where Federer escaped with a tough win to make their career record 6-1 in favor of the Swiss. The American’s only win came in a dominating performance in the semifinal at Indian Wells in 2008.

The recent injury that forced Fish to withdraw in Paris might have made an appearance in his match with Tsonga, as he seemed to lose conviction and confidence in his game. The result was a player that avoided utilizing the strengths in his game and watched Tsonga dictate the inevitable result.

Even if Fish were to win, Federer would remain in the top spot for Group B based on the tiebreaking procedures that will use head-to-head record as the first deciding factor.