Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal Preview - 2010 ATP World Tour Finals

Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal Preview - 2010 ATP World Tour Finals

The top two players in the world will meet in the final on Sunday from London's O2 in the tour championships.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have a storied head to head rivalry and another chapter will be added on Sunday as the top two players in the world will meet in the final of Sunday's ATP World Tour Finals with a start time of not before 5:30pm GMT (the doubles final could lead to delays).

Federer advanced on Saturday by dispatching Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the semis while Nadal had a much, much more difficult time defeating Andy Murray as their match featured a close third set tiebreaker.

The frequency of so-called 'Fedal' matches has gone down in the last couple of years. Nadal struggled with injury during significant parts of 2009 and that made it difficult for the Spaniard to advance to the point in the draw where he would actually face Federer as the Swiss Maestro took down the 2009 French Open and Wimbledon 2009 without actually facing Rafa.

In the clay court and grass court seasons of 2010 it was Federer who was having difficulty getting deep into the draws as he fell in the quarters of the clay court and grass court Slams in tournaments where Nadal prevailed.

The two players did meet once this year already however as Nadal defeated Federer in the Madrid Masters final on clay in straight sets back in the spring.

But that they play less often than in recent years will only make tomorrow's match that much more cherishable for tennis fans and the following shows how their frequency of competition has declined:

2006: 6 meetings
2007: 5 meetings
2008: 3 meetings
2009: 2 meetings
2010: 2 meetings (including tomorrow's final)

Nadal holds a 14-7 winning record over Federer but only 6 of their matches have been played on the hard court surface. On that surface they are 3-3 against one another with Nadal winning the biggest match between the two on the cement - that match being the final of the 2009 Australian Open.

Federer's form is better at the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals as he has advanced to the final by virtue of 4 straight sets victories and that span of wins includes wins over 5th ranked Andy Murray, 4th ranked Robin Soderling, and the 3rd ranked Novak Djokovic.

Nadal is clearly on-form as well or he would not be in the final but lost sets to Andy Roddick and Andy Murray indicate that it is Federer whose form is a little sharper at this precise moment.

The championship match is scheduled for Sunday at 5:30pm at London's O2 and my prediction is that Nadal pulls the win out despite Federer's arguably better play at the Tour Finals.

Nadal's head to head record against the Swiss Maestro is convincing and Rafa also has the benefit of being 5 years younger than Federer. The championship match of the ATP World Tour Finals is as late as the season gets and if fatigue comes into play in any way in the match, the 24 year old Spaniard should have just a little bit more than the 29 year old Federer.

However this match might best be described as a case of "don't pick it, just enjoy it" as it is the match that many neutral fans would have been hoping for pre-tournament.