The second day of the World Tour Finals features rematches of the two semifinal battles staged last week at the Paris Masters 1000 tournament.  Rafael Nadal takes on David Ferrer, and Novak Djokovic takes on Roger Federer. Both matches could go a long way in determining who advances to the semifinals.

Rafael Nadal vs. David Ferrer (Group A)

Ferrer has a solid history at the World Tour Finals. He has qualified five times, including every year since 2010. His best results at this event came in 2007, when he lost to Federer in the final, and 2011, when he was taken out by Federer in the semifinals.

Nadal’s record at the World Tour Finals is actually a bit shocking. The Spaniard is only 9-10 in the season finale, an event he has played six times. Nadal has failed to win the event and has made the final only once, losing to Federer in 2011.

Nadal dominates the head-to-head between the two Spaniards, coming into this match with a staggering 20-5 advantage. Of course, their most recent meeting came last Saturday in Paris Bercy. Ferrer brought forth an exceptionally high level of tennis to take out Nadal in straight sets. Last weekend’s match was their first on an indoor hard court, although Ferrer also defeated Nadal on indoor carpet at this event six years ago when it was held in Shanghai.

Should Nadal win two matches in the round-robin stage, a more than likely scenario, he will cement his position as the year-end No. 1. If Nadal is able to cap his year by winning in London, it will conclude one of the most spectacular seasons in tennis history. Nadal has won 10 titles this year, including two majors and five Masters 1000 tournaments

Ferrer’s season, while not as impressive as his 2012 campaign, has been stellar. Despite losing in seven of the nine finals he contested this year, Ferrer won titles at Buenos Aires and Auckland and reached the final at Roland Garros and two Masters 1000 tournaments.

Having watched the Monday matches, it is evident that the conditions in the 02 Arena are relatively slow. Nadal and Ferrer are both great defenders, and the slower court should aid them in fighting off the bigger hitters.

If Ferrer wants to duplicate his result from last weekend, he will have to do a lot of things right, which unsurprisingly are a lot of the things he did last week in Bercy. For one, Ferrer did a wonderful job exploiting the Nadal backhand. Ferrer consistently targeted the Nadal backhand when serving and during the course of rallies with a litany of topspin-infused forehands. Ferrer was able to force Nadal into hitting lots of short backhands, providing himself the opportunity to be aggressive. Ferrer’s go-to shot on Nadal’s short balls was the inside-out forehand. He also threw in a steady dosage of drop shots and down-the-line backhands.

The slower court should make it increasingly difficult for Ferrer to implement these tactics and easier for Nadal to defend against them. Look for Nadal to try to obtain more free points with his sliding lefty serve than he did last week.

Prediction: Nadal in three sets

Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer (Group B)

This year marks Federer’s 12th straight appearance at the World Tour Finals, which he has won a record six times. His victories have come in two-year runs: 2003-2004, 2006-2007, and 2010-2011. Federer made the final in London last year before losing to Djokovic in two sets.

This is Djokovic’s seventh straight year in the year-end championships. The Serb won the title in 2008 and 2012, compiling a 14-9 overall record at the tournament.

Federer leads the head-to-head matchup 16-14. On indoor hard courts, each man has won three matches from the other, but Djokovic has won the last two.

The Serb has produced an incredible year, highlighted by titles at the Australian Open and three Masters 1000 tournaments. Despite Nadal’s remarkable year, Djokovic still has a chance to claim the No. 1 year end ranking. If Nadal fails to win two round-robin and Djokovic can win the World Tour Finals and win his two Davis Cup matches a week later, Djokovic will capture the year-end No. 1 ranking.

Federer’s 2013 has been one of the most challenging and least successful years of his career. His only title came in Halle, a 250-level event, and he failed to make a final at a major tournament for the first time since 2002. Federer comes into London with amplified confidence having had a successful week in Bercy where he beat Juan Martin Del Potro in a tight three setter and gave Novak Djokovic a solid run before falling three sets.

This match pits one of the greatest offensive forces in tennis history, Federer, against arguably the greatest defensive player that tennis has ever seen, Djokovic. On a fast court, the offensive player usually has the advantage.  Considering how slow this court in London appears to be, however, it will be even harder for Federer to break the Serb’s defensive barriers.

Federer will have to use his serve to wonderful effect to win free points and facilitate his first-strike brand of tennis, especially since Djokovic is a very effective returner. In addition, look for Federer to throw in some variety, including drop shots, routine net approaches, and serve-volley attempts. Those will give him more options to close out points. If the match turns into a slugfest from the baseline, Djokovic should prevail.

Djokovic will be looking to make Federer play that one extra shot with the knowledge that, as the rallies get longer, his chances of winning the point goes up.

Prediction: Djokovic in two sets