Nishikori takes on Cilic; Murray faces Federer on Day 5
Barring the first day, the other days of the ATP tour finals have been witnessed to some lop-sided encounters. Even the mouth watering contest between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka on Wednesday turned out to be a damp squib, with Djokovic winning 6-3, 6-0.
However, Day 5 promises to be an exciting one again, with Kei Nishikori taking on Marin Cilic and then Andy Murray taking on Roger Federer in the second match of the day.
Nishikori will be looking to avenge his defeat in the US Open final, when he takes on Cilic in the afternoon game at the O2 arena. The 24-year-old Japanese leads the overall head-to-head 5-3, despite losing the last time round.
The second match of the day, however, would be the real crowd-puller with Murray taking on Federer. The 27-year-old Scot is coming off a much-needed win over Milos Raonic while Federer seems to be in the form-of-his-life, having not lost a set in the tournament thus far.
Talking about his opponent, Murray said that quick thinking and footwork are the keys to beat the 17-time Grand Slam champion.
“You need to be sharp with your thinking and sharp with your footwork if you want to get the better of him.He tries to play very close to the baseline, stay pretty aggressive and take your time away,” Murray wrote in his column for the BBC.
“It's vital that you're able to make quick decisions and can move well enough to track his shots down. When you get the opportunity you have to put him under pressure. If you don't move well against Roger or you're not sharp on the day, it can be tough. Hopefully on Thursday I'll be ready for that,” he added.
This will be the 23rd time the duo will be squaring off against each other with both players winning 11 games apiece.