Rafael Nadal is hoping to be more competitive in this year’s ATP World Tour Finals

Rafael Nadal enters the year-end tournament as the World No.1, but isn’t necessarily the favourite to win the title. The Spaniard crashed out of last year’s competition in the group stage, losing all of his matches. Many pundits, and Nadal himself, believe that this has something to do with the fast indoor courts at the O2 arena.

“You play against the best players in the world, in the most difficult conditions for me of the year”, remarked Nadal. “I try my best to change the situation from last year”. It may well be the case that Nadal struggles to put his baseline game to good use next week, as the surface tends to favour the big hitters. Even so, Nadal is still expected to be a major contender in London.

Elsewhere, Roger Federer is aiming to win a fifth Tour Finals title. When asked about his chances of reclaiming the No. 1 ranking spot, he stated that it would be “very difficult”. With his sights set more firmly on net week’s competition, Federer said, “The goal is to play well here in London and then prepare well for next season and hopefully at some stage try to get it back”.