Top two set up dream ATP final

The last match of the ATP Tour season will be a showdown between the two best players in the world after Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer reached the final of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in contrasting styles in London today.

World number one Nadal needed three hours and 11 minutes and one of the best performances of his life to defeat an inspired Andy Murray 7-6 (7/5) 3-6 7-6 (8/6), while Federer took only an hour and 20 minutes to trounce Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-4.

Between 2006 and 2008 the pair met 16 times, but over the last two seasons they have played only three matches, with Nadal winning their last encounter in the final of the Madrid Masters in May.

Both are undefeated at the O2 Arena so far, meaning the winner will take home a cheque for just over £1m (€1.17m) as well as 1,500 ranking points.

Today's matches could well have a bearing, with Nadal admitting he was "very tired", while Federer, who is bidding to equal Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras' tally of five World Tour Finals titles, hardly broke sweat in blasting Djokovic off the court.

The Swiss, though, expects his great rival to recover, saying: "I don't think it's going to have much effect on him. He's been done for a few hours now. He might be tucked up in bed already. That's his advantage, that he played early."

It will be the duo's first match in London since the epic Wimbledon final of 2008, which was won by Nadal in five sets and is considered by many people to be the best match of all time.

Federer, though, sees the shorter format as a different challenge, and one that could well be won in the head as much as on the court.

"Best-of-three-set tennis can be over very quickly," he said. "You have to be very focused and very sharp. That's what I'll try to do, prepare for tomorrow very well mentally.

"I think that's what it comes down to tomorrow, for me anyway. I hope we can live up to expectations and really play a great match against each other again."

Nadal's match was an epic in every sense, with the momentum shifting one way and then the other before the world number one finally clinched victory on his third match point.

Murray won five more points and, in the second and third sets in particular, was marginally the better player, but opponents do not come tougher than Nadal.

After a tight opening set that was decided by a single point in the tie-break, Murray upped his game in the second and won four games in a row.

Nadal looked in trouble as the home hope began to up his winner count but he dropped his level just when it seemed he was on top.

Murray gave away his serve for the only time in the match, but there was another twist to come as, after saving a match point, he broke back to level at 5-5.

The match was to be decided by a second tie-break and, after Murray had made the first move, it was Nadal who claimed victory, and a place in the final of the tournament for the first time, with a trademark forehand winner.

The British number one is a huge admirer of Nadal and he was able to reflect on a tremendous performance, even if it did not end the way he had hoped.

"It was a great match," said the 23-year-old. "I think both of us played very well. I probably played one bad game the whole match, or maybe just a couple of bad points.

"I've had many great matches with him. I've lost some of them, I've been lucky enough to win some. Hopefully I'll get more chances to play him in these sort of matches because today is the reason why I play tennis."

Nadal made no attempt to disguise just how tough it had been for him, saying: "Today I played one of the finest matches of my career. Being in the final is a dream. I think it was an incredible tennis match."

After the tension of the afternoon, the evening match proved to be a masterclass from Federer, who hit 31 winners in only 17 games and could conceivably have won by an even more emphatic scoreline.

Djokovic conceded there was little he could do, saying: "He was on top of his game. I think he was playing unbelievable from the first moment. He's maybe playing his best tennis of 2010. Every ball kind of listens to him."