Rafael Nadal was happy to make up for lost time as he began his Barclays ATP World Tour Finals campaign with a thumping victory over David Ferrer.
The world No 1 was not able to play at London’s O2 Arena last year because of knee problems but since returning in February his form has been sensational.
Nadal has won 10 tournaments, including two Grand Slam titles, and he is chasing the one major trophy missing from his CV to complete a dream season.
Ferrer provided little opposition, the third seed failing to find the form that helped him beat Nadal in the semi-finals of the Paris Masters on Saturday as he went down 6-3 6-2 in just an hour and 14 minutes.
Nadal made the final in 2010, losing to Roger Federer, but he has also failed to reach the semi-finals twice at the O2.
A straight-sets victory over Stanislas Wawrinka today would book his place in the last four and also secure the year-end No 1 ranking ahead of Novak Djokovic.
Nadal said: “I’ve always come here with motivation to play well. For some reason you have places that the conditions are a little bit worse for you. But that doesn’t mean that one year you have special motivation. Every time I am able to play in the World Tour Finals it has been a special feeling for me.
“Sometimes I didn’t play my best. Other times, I played well. I had a few chances without a positive end. But I going to try to play a good match tomorrow and create another chance to be in the semi-finals again.”
Ferrer had ended a nine-match losing streak against his compatriot in Paris but it was a different story from the start here.
The extra bounce suited Nadal better and only a late rally from Ferrer prevented him losing the second set to love.
It was not a high-quality match, with half of the points being decided by unforced errors.
Asked what had made the difference from Paris, Nadal said: “What really changed is nothing in three days. But probably he arrived a little bit more tired after playing the final there. The court is a little bit slower.
“I played with a little bit more calm than the other day. And, in my opinion, he didn’t have the chance to hit the winner as easily as he did three days ago.”
Ferrer now faces a crunch clash against Tomas Berdych today.
The Spaniard said: “I think it was not a good day. Rafael played well. In all the match I didn’t have a good feeling.”