How The Final Was Won

© Getty ImagesRoger Federer celebrates winning his 66th title on Sunday.

World No. 2 Roger Federer of Switzerland beat World No. 1 Rafael Nadal of Spain 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in one hour and 38 minutes on Sunday to capture his fifth title at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

It was only the third indoor meeting of their legendary rivalry. Here is a breakdown of how the final was won.

FIRST SET

Both players got off to a nervous start, but came through routine service holds in the first five games. Nadal, who had practised ahead of the final by hitting backhands to the ad court before firing forehands down the line, got Federer in trouble on serve at 3-3 when the Spaniard won the first two points. But Federer rolled slower than normal first serves out wide on the deuce court and regained control of baseline rallies to pick up four straight points. At 3-4, Nadal led 30/0 but hit his first double fault of the match. By mixing up the pace of his strokes and hitting hard to Nadal’s forehand, Federer turned the game in his favour. Federer ripped a forehand winner down the line for his first break point opportunity and converted the chance with a glorious crosscourt backhand that Nadal – on the other side of the court - could not reach. Federer clinched the 32-minute first set 6-3 with a hold to love. The Swiss hit three aces and dropped just three service points on serve overall.

SECOND SET

Could Nadal recover? He looked lethargic early on, but the World No. 1 – who came into the tournament with a 43-26 indoor record – slowly fought his way back into contention. Initially, Federer gave Nadal little opportunity to get on the front foot but in the fourth game the second seed found himself at 15/40. Federer attacked the net to hurry Nadal into a backhand error, but on the Spaniard’s second break point opportunity Federer hit a forehand wide. As further unforced errors crept into Federer’s game, Nadal confirmed the break for a 4-1 lead with a hold to 30. Federer dropped just one point in his next two service games, but paid the price for a 42 first serve percentage as Nadal ended the 34-minute second set with a clever backhand slice – leaving Federer in no man’s land – on his first set point opportunity. Nadal, the first left-hander in the year-end championship final since John McEnroe in 1984, hit four winners and committed eight unforced errors to send the final ATP World Tour match of 2010 into a decider.

THIRD SET

Federer went on a run of five straight points at the start of the deciding set, yet Nadal dug deep and won four successive points from 0/15 to level the scoreline at 1-1. At this stage both players were showcasing their A-games. But at 1-2, Nadal let slip a 40/15 lead and gifted Federer a break point opportunity when he hit a forehand just wide. Federer, stepping inside the baseline and taking the ball early, hit a backhand crosscourt that Nadal ran to and hit another forehand down the line wide. With a 3-1 lead, Federer dropped just his third point on first serve at 30/15 to encourage Nadal into a comeback. But Federer remained strong on serve to take a crucial 4-1 lead that left Nadal looking, for once, susceptible on backhand groundstrokes. Over the next five points, Nadal’s game crumbled as the top seed committed three unforced errors to allow Federer a chance to serve for his fifth title at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The Swiss coolly captured his 66th title with a hold to 15, finishing with a forehand winner. Since losing to Novak Djokovic in the US Open semi-finals in September, Federer has compiled a 21-2 record.