David Ferrer, coming off a straight set loss to Rafael Nadal, will try to keep his stay in London relevant as he takes on Tomas Berdych on the third day of the Round Robin stage of the ATP Tour Finals at O2 Arena on Wednesday.
Ferrer, the No.3 netter in the world, could not find the same groove he had when he last defeated Nadal in the semifinal of the Paris Masters 2013. Instead, he fell prey to his compatriot's more aggressive approach and eventually absorbed his first loss 6-3, 6-2 at the year-ending tournament.
With Nadal expected to take the top seed in their group, fans are looking forward to a three-man race for the remaining semis spot with Ferrer, Stanislas Wawrinka, and Tomas Berdych all battling to stay in contention.
Ferrer's best performance in the Tour Finals was in 2007, when he finished runner-up to Roger Federer, who was then playing at the peak of his prime. After that, Ferrer never became a real contender in the tourney.
Facing Berdych
Like Ferrer, Berdych also enters the match with a mindset to win his second Round Robin outing following his opening match loss to Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3 6-7 (0-7) 6-3 in a three-set tussle on Tuesday.
Berdych has been a staple name in the ATP Tour Finals for quite a while, but never found a breakthrough in this very tough event, which features eight of the best men's singles players in the world.
Former ATP Tour veteran and BBC Tennis analyst Tim Henman admitted that he's a fan of Berdych's game, though he openly questions the mental strength of the Czech in big game matches.
"Watching Berdych, he has the tools in his artillery for a huge game. He can generate enormous amounts of power, but there were too many situations today where he didn't pick the right shots. You wonder if he lacks the mental strength in some games," Henman said on BBC.
Head-to-Head
Ferrer has a 6-2 head-to-head advantage over Berdych and recently dispatched the Czech in three sets in the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see how these two elite players play against each other with so much on the line.
Live Streaming & Schedule
ATP Tour Finals Coverage of the David Ferrer vs. Tomas Berdych match will start at 4 p.m EST on The Tennis Channel. ESPN Watch and ATP Tour Finals provide live streaming feed on tablet and PC while the official ATP website will provide live scores, statistics and match updates.