I know a lot of British tennis fans will be disappointed that Andy Murray is not taking part at the World Tour Finals this week, but the final tournament of the 2013 season has put together a lot of big names and I think it will be a fascinating week.
Group B is the the tougher one to predict this week as it contains three players that will expect they can go all the way and win the event, while Richard Gasquet could be forgiven for seeing this as a successful season regardless of what happens on the court.
Group A is potentially problematic for Rafael Nadal, especially as he has admitted that this has been a long season, but he should be motivated to reach the Semi Finals at the very least and finish the year as the World Number 1 ahead of the new season.
I don't think Nadal will have a problem getting out of a Group where two of the players certainly have a mental block when it comes to playing the Spaniard, although Nadal will look to get a bit of revenge over David Ferrer in his opening match on Tuesday.
The scheduling has been changed a little for the opening two days than we have become accustomed to, much down to the fact that a member of each Group was playing in the Final of the Paris Masters on Sunday. I am guessing the scheduling will go back to normal on Wednesday through to the rest of the tournament, and hopefully I will get time to go down to the O2 and catch a match or two.
Tomas Berdych win 2-1 v Stanislas Wawrinka: This is a new experience for Stanislas Wawrinka and I think that is the reason that Tomas Berdych will be able to come through and win this match, although it should be remarkably close.
The two players have always been well matches with Berdych winning 5 and Wawrinka winning 7, but recent meetings have generally gone the way of the Swiss man who has won 5 of the last 6 between them.
However, the only two indoor hard court meetings in that time have been won by Berdych and I think his experience of playing at the O2 is going to be invaluable. Wawrinka has a big game that should see him take a set and I definitely favour this one to be decided by a critical third set that will put the losing player in a very tough position to qualify for the Semi Finals.
The indoor conditions do make the service action a little more comfortable for Berdych, but he has to overcome a mental barrier having lost so many recent matches to Wawrinka. Familiarity with the conditions and the arena may just prove to be the biggest difference in a match where both men should have their chances to win it. I just think Berdych is the more comfortable indoor player and will show that in three tough sets.
Juan Martin Del Potro - 4.5 games v Richard Gasquet: This isn't a great match up for Richard Gasquet who can be overpowered by some of the best players on the Tour and Juan Martin Del Potro is also one of the best indoor players in the World at this moment.
There were signs of tiredness in Del Potro last week, but he has had a few days off and I think he can take advantage of Gasquet who may just be glad that he finally got back to the World Tour Finals.
Del Potro has also dominated his matches with Gasquet and I think the big man should be able to dominate this match behind his power. I also think the Frenchman can be guilty of falling apart at times and I like Del Potro to win 63, 64.
MY PICKS: Tomas Berdych win 2-1 @ 4.33 Sporting Bet (1 Unit)
Juan Martin Del Potro - 4.5 Games @ 2.15 Pinnacle (2 Units)
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