Roger Federer vs Stan Wawrinka: stay

Murray has been knocked out of the season-ending playoffs by Stan Wawrinka in straight sets.

However, Djokovic was utterly dominant on his own serve, not giving his opponent a sniff in the opening set, which he took 6-3.

After a break to move ahead 2-0 in set two, Federer didn’t let up. The world number two held in his next game to keep him in the match but he still needed to break Wawrinka to restore parity in the match. In the hope that him shaving his beard does not have the same Samson-esque effect as Murray’s impromptu mop-chop had in his match against Nadal. Djokovic was clearly in a hurry to finish the job, breaking again at 5-3 with a flurry of pinpoint winners.

Wawrinka added: “It’s an fantastic tournament to play”.

While trying reach t another huge cross court shot from Wawrinka, Murray wriggled, giving a fright to the home crowd. “Obviously, that was an important point in the match”. Another deuce ensued, before Wawrinka was denied of his second match point.

But in the next match point, Murray sent long his cross court shot. But, Murray still has a chance to climb to the highest year-end ranking of his career, if Federer loses a match this week.

But, having made it clear that his main priority for the rest of the season was helping Great Britain win the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936, Murray is now free to concentrate on next week’s final against Belgium in Ghent.

Still, despite the absence of bovine meat, this one should still be a tasty one, as the two Swissers scrap to see who will face Novak Djokovic in the final tomorrow.

Dead rubber While a dead rubber might be the height of pointlessness to many, the near-full arena at least saw Ferrer push Nadal way further than he had been tested earlier in the week by Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray.

If Wawrinka’s match with Federer is as dramatic as their semifinal in London past year, fans are in for a treat. Federer saved four match points in a 4-6 7-5 7-6 (8-6) win, with his wife Mirka taunting Wawrinka late in the third.

It was already a dead rubber with Nadal confirmed as the Ilie Nastase group topper, but nonetheless match produced a dogged fight between the two Spaniards. It was a better performance again for the Swiss who has got better as the tournament has gone on (well, he probably could not have gotten much worse, if you think back to the first match)!

Elsewhere in the Spanish La Liga, Real Sociedad are set to play Sevilla, Espanyol battle it out with Malaga, Valencia take on Las Palmas at MestaYa, and Deportivo La Coruna will host Celta Vigo.

Seventeen-times major champion Roger Federer has suffered at the hands of Nadal more than any other player, losing 23 of their 34 contests, and fully expects the Mallorcan to continue his form into 2016, providing he stays fit.

“Rafael in the third set, he improved his game”, Ferrer said.

“It will be a tough one for sure”.

That game seemed to take its toll on both players and neither had another break point until Ferrer netted a backhand at 4-4 and Nadal then hit a forehand victor down the line to take the lead for good.