RICKY DIMON PICKS FOR DAY 1 OF THE WORLD TOUR FINALS: NISHIKORI VS. MURRAY, FEDERER VS. RAONIC

Written by: Staff on 9th November 2014

BNP Paribas 2014 Masters Tennis Tournament

RICKY DIMON PICKS FOR DAY 1 OF THE WORLD TOUR FINALS: NISHIKORI VS. MURRAY, FEDERER VS. RAONIC

epa04470552 Roger Federer of Switzerland returns the ball to Lucas Pouille of France during his round of sixteen match at the BNP Paribas 2014 Masters tennis tournament in Paris, France, 30 October 2014. EPA/YOAN VALAT |

The long-awaited and much-anticipated World Tour Finals will finally get underway on Sunday. Kei Nishikori and Andy Murry will kick off the singles proceedings in the afternoon, while Roger Federer and Milos Raonic are set to headline the night session. The portraits have been taken, the selfies have been tweeted; now it’s time for tennis!

(4) Kei Nishikori vs. (5) Andy Murray

Nishikori and Murray will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers when Group B action gets underway. Murray has won all three of their previous meetings and all three have taken place on hard courts. The Scot prevailed 6-3, 6-0 in the 2011 Shanghai semifinals, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 at the 2012 Australian Open, and via retirement at last year’s Brisbane International while leading 6-4, 2-0.

Murray’s 2014 campaign started slow as a result of recovering from back surgery and the world No. 6 and went without a slam title or even a slam final, but he has been on fire since the U.S. Open. Murray has won 20 of his last 23 matches with titles in Shenzhen, Vienna, and Valencia.

Japan’s Kei Nishikori in action against Jack Sock of the USA during their second round match at the Shanghai Tennis Masters in Shanghai, China, 08 October 2014. EPA/DIEGO AZUBEL

Nishikori all but guaranteed himself a first-ever ticket to the year-end championship by finishing runner-up at the U.S. Open, although it was not a mathematical certainty until midway through the Paris Masters. Of course, Nishikori’s season has been absolutely outstanding beyond just the bright lights of New York. The Japanese star is 52-12 overall with four titles, including two this fall in Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo.

Look for experience to play a big role in this one. Whereas Nishikori has never played a match inside the O2 Arena, Murray is 9-7 lifetime at this elite eight-man event with three semifinal berths (one in Shanghai, two in London).

(2) Roger Federer vs. (7) Milos Raonic

Federer and Raonic will be squaring off for the eighth time in their careers and for the second time in little more than a week. They just faced each other in the Paris Masters quarters, with Raonic scoring a 7-6(5), 7-5 upset. Federer, though, had won all six of their previous encounters and was 14-3 in total sets, having won 10 in a row. The Swiss beat Raonic twice in 2014 prior to Paris; 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the Wimbledon semifinals and 6-2, 6-3 in the Cincinnati semis.

Despite ending in losses to Federer, those were two of Raonic’s most important results en route to his first-ever London berth. The eighth-ranked Canadian, who has compiled a 49-18 record this year, emerged from a brief slump to reach the Paris title match.

Federer has not lost to anyone other than Raonic since the U.S. Open. This hot streak includes a pair of Davis Cup singles wins and titles in Shanghai and Basel. The world No. 2’s 68-11 record has him in mathematical contention for the year-end top ranking.

Like with Nishikori vs. Murray, the experience card here may come up trumps. This is Federer’s 13th appearance in the year-end championship and he is seeking his seventh title. For Raonic, of course, this is something entirely new. The relatively low-bouncing surface should not help the underdog, either, although he did cope with it well in Paris.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, Kei Nishikori, milos raonic, Ricky Dimon, Roger Federer, Tennis News

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10sBalls_com says:

November 9, 2014 at 12:18 am

@RD_Tennistalk PICKS FOR DAY 1 OF THE WORLD TOUR FINALS: @keinishikori VS @andy_murray, @rogerfederer VS @milosraonic http://t.co/XQi65ntf19
RD_Tennistalk says:

November 9, 2014 at 8:08 am

RT @10sBalls_com: @RD_Tennistalk PICKS FOR DAY 1 OF THE WORLD TOUR FINALS: @keinishikori VS @andy_murray, @rogerfederer VS @milosraonic htt…