Injury concern for Andy Murray?

Wawrinka, a semi-finalist at this venue each of the last two seasons, has captured two Grand Slam titles since then, to move level with Murray’s tally, but in truth his game is more unpredictable than the Scot’s.

By the closing stages he was winning just 10% of points behind his second serve and Nadal was happy to capitalise, breaking once again and firing away a forehand victor on match point.

Nishikori made the semi-finals here on his debut past year and took a set off Djokovic, and his chances looked very much alive when he overturned an early deficit with successive breaks to lead 4-3.

Early this morning, Stanislas Wawrinka, the world number four, downed David Ferrer 7-5, 6-2.

Andy Murray has given British tennis fans a boost ahead of the Davis Cup final by playing down fears of a hamstring injury.

His first two match points went begging, the second when he sent a straightforward-looking smash to the far reaches of the O2 Arena, but he clinched it on the third. I didn’t help myself out there today.

Against Murray, Nadal dominated short rallies of 0-4 shots (26-16), lost the mid-length rallies of 5-9 shots (19-22), but completely dominated the longer rallies (16-5). “It was in the low 40s in the second set, like 35 percent”.

Murray, who would seal the year-end world No 2 ranking with victory, has not played Wawrinka for more than two years.

Ferrer, meanwhile, has now opened the tournament with back-to-back defeats.

Both Nadal and two-time Grand Slam champion Murray are contesting their seventh Finals, the season-ending tournament disputed on a hard court between the year’s top eight players. “That’s not going to be good enough against him when he’s playing that well”.

“When I don’t think about how to hit the ball, but when I think just about where to hit the ball, that’s good news. I have had a different career also”, the world No4 said.

The Scot then gifted a break in a awful first service game of the second set when he failed to make a first serve, committed two double faults before sending a backhand miles wide.

The result (on the court) means Murray will in all likelihood have to beat Stan Wawrinka in his final round-robin group game to progress to the semi-finals. I was up 5-3 to win the set and I did mistakes, important mistakes.