Tennis News

In 2014, David Ferrer‘s quest to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals took a hit with a three-set defeat to Andy Murray in the final of the Erste Bank Open. The Spaniard is hoping for a reversal of fortunes on Sunday in Vienna.

Ferrer downed Gael Monfils 7-6(5), 7-5 in Saturday’s semi-finals, denying all six break points faced during the two-hour and one-minute affair. Currently at No. 8 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, Ferrer will be looking to cement his position among the elite eight as he bids for a 26th title in his 51st tour-level final.

Ferrer crashed the net early and often against Monfils, winning 15 of 19 such points. After converting on his fourth set point to take the opener in a tie-break, he broke to love for 6-5 in the second set and served out the match a game later. The Spaniard has turned around their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, having dropped the first three meetings against Monfils, before reeling off three straight without dropping a set.

“It was a tough match,” said Ferrer. “It was my best match this week. I’m very glad because I am in the final.

“To beat him, I have to play my best tennis. Today, I served well and my forehand worked very nicely. It’s one of the best seasons of my career and tomorrow I will fight for another title.”

Opposing Ferrer in Sunday’s Vienna final will be Steve Johnson, who advanced to his first ATP World Tour title match with a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over Ernests Gulbis. Johnson needed 91 minutes to seal the victory, firing 12 aces and converting on two of four break opportunities.

The former two-time NCAA champion at the University of Southern California is the first American to reach the final of an ATP World Tour 500 event since John Isner finished runner-up to Juan Martin del Potro in Washington 2013. With Jack Sock advancing to the final in Stockholm as well this week, it also marks the first time two Americans have reached two different ATP World Tour finals in the same week since 2008, when Sam Querrey and Andy Roddick hoisted the trophies in Las Vegas and Dubai, respectively.

“It feels great,” said Johnson, who is the first player from the U.S. to reach the Vienna final since 1998, when Pete Sampras won the title. “Hopefully I can get one more win on Sunday. I’m just very excited to be in my first final. I served well in the first set and served well in the second.”

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There was fighting talk from a determined Rafael Nadal on Saturday as he prepares to compete in Switzerland for the Swiss Indoors Basel. The Spaniard is not only looking for a strong finish to the 2015 ATP World Tour season, but also to lay the groundwork for what he hopes will be a return to his best form in 2016.

“I start preparing for next season today,” Nadal told media on Saturday ahead of his fourth appearance at the ATP World Tour 500 indoor hard court tournament. “There will be no rest this year. I have no time. After the [Barclays ATP] World Tour Finals I will try to have a few days off, but that’s it.”

The 29-year-old Nadal has endured up and down fortunes in 2015, but is pleased with the improvements he has made mentally during the challenging campaign. The recent ATP World Tour Asian swing was a great source of encouragement for the left-hander, who reached the Beijing final (l. to Djokovic) and lost a close semi-final in Shanghai (l. to Tsonga).

“I’ve improved most mentally this season,” said Nadal. “I have the motivation to keep going and what motivates me is to find a way to play at the highest level possible and to put myself in a position to fight for the things I want to fight for. My goal is to enjoy tennis and compete in all the tournaments and be happy with what I am doing.”

Nadal is the third seed in Basel, joining Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Kevin Anderson, Richard Gasquet and John Isner in the stacked field. Rising Croatian star Borna Coric also returns, one year on from stunning Nadal in the quarter-finals to reach his first ATP World Tour semi-final (l. to Goffin).

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Nadal opens his campaign against Lukas Rosol and is looking to continue building momentum as he hopes for a strong finish at his remaining three tournaments this year: Basel, Paris and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The Mallorcan is also in the doubles draw in Basel alongside Marc Lopez.

“My main goal is to try and work hard and finish this year with a lot of energy and a better level than I’ve shown this year,” said Nadal. “For sure, every victory and every practice helps. I’m healthy and that’s allowing me to practise quite a lot.

“Mentally I’m feeling great, with the motivation to keep going. The process during this year has been better. I’m working hard to be better tomorrow than today. That’s the way that I’m working. We can’t compare years and we can’t compare levels. I believe I’m going in the right way.”