ATP World Tour Finals
Venue: O2 Arena, London Date: 22-29 November
Match coverage: Live on BBC Two from 1415 GMT
Tournament coverage: Live on BBC Two, 26/28/29 November, 1415/1430 GMT; every match live on BBC Radio 5 live/5 live sports extra; live text commentaries on BBC Sport website; live coverage every day on Sky Sports
By Caroline Cheese
BBC Sport at the O2 Arena
**Andy Murray knows defeat in his final round-robin match against Fernando Verdasco would almost certainly send him out of the ATP World Tour Finals.**After losing to Roger Federer on Wednesday, Murray must beat the Spaniard on Thursday to guarantee his place in Saturday’s semi-finals.
“I just win against Verdasco, that’s pretty much what I have to do,” said the world number four.
The match takes place from 1415 GMT and will be shown live on BBC Two.
The permutations are complicated, but the British number one could still reach the semi-finals if he loses against Verdasco, providing Federer beats Juan Martin del Potro in Thursday’s second singles match.
That would leave Murray, Del Potro and Verdasco tied on one win apiece and the standings would be decided by sets and then games won.
However, Murray will be favourite to beat world number eight Verdasco, a player he has lost to only once in eight meetings.
606: DEBATE
“Given that this is a player who believes he should be winning Slams, isn’t it time Murray was a bit mentally tougher”
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That defeat was a painful fourth-round loss at the Australian Open this year, but he has since beaten Verdasco twice, most recently in the Valencia Open semi-finals earlier this month.
“I’ve got a good record against all the guys in the group,” said the 22-year-old Murray.
“If I play well, there’s a good chance I’ll win. If I don’t, then there’s a good chance I’ll lose.”
Murray will certainly look to improve his serve, which he described as “pants” in the final two sets against world number one Federer on Wednesday.
The Scot will also be keen to avoid the kind of mid-match lapses that have blighted his game since his return from a six-week lay-off with a wrist injury.
“The one thing that’s been a problem for me since I came back is I have played well-ish in the first set and then when the adrenaline wears off, there’s not been quite the same spark in the legs,” he said.
"I’ve had letdowns in a lot of matches. I’ve let guys back in the match straightaway.
“At the beginning of the year when I was playing a lot of matches, I wasn’t giving guys chances to come back when I was getting ahead.”
Federer, who went out at the round-robin stage last year, knows a win against Del Potro will secure him a place in the semi-finals.
Like Murray, he heads into the match with a commanding 6-1 record against his opponent, but the one defeat was September’s stunning US Open final upset.
“It could be a make or break match for us to get through,” said the world number one.
“If that’s the case, I’ll give it all I have to try to beat him this time. It was a fantastic match in New York, and it seems like he’s playing well now. He looks like he’s getting better as the tournament goes on.”