Andy Murray admits slim chances against Rafael Nadal

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Andy Murray has claimed he would go into a probable semi-final against Rafael Nadal at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals tomorrow with little chance of beating the world number one.

The 23-year-old's extraordinary comments came after a 6-2 6-2 win over David Ferrer in the final Group B match last night booked his place in the last four at the O2 Arena in London as runner-up to Roger Federer.

Murray's opponent will not be decided until Group A is concluded today but Nadal is in pole position to top the table and face the Scot next after winning his opening two matches.

Fifth seed Murray said: "I'll try to win but I'm not sure I've got a whole lot of chance if I play against him. He's obviously the best player in the world. I've watched his matches here, he's been playing unbelievably well.

"I don't seem to beat those guys in the big matches. So I'm going to have to play my best tennis against him to win. I need to do it in a big match, in the semis."

Murray's attitude is even more baffling given he has won four of their last five meetings on hard courts, including on his way to retaining his Masters title in Toronto in August.

However, the comments may be more about his displeasure with the reaction to his 6-4 6-2 loss against Roger Federer on Tuesday, when his performance was heavily criticised and his ability to win big matches against the best was questioned again.

Murray, who missed out on the semi-finals last year by one game, went into last night's match with Ferrer knowing he needed only to win a set to qualify after Federer's 7-6 (7/5) 6-3 victory over Robin Soderling.

He promptly lost the opening two games and admitted the unfamiliar scenario had affected him.

"It does change your mindset a little bit," Murray said. "It's very easy to say you've just got to win the match. But when you know what's at stake, you want to get off to a good start. It's just very different to anything we're used to normally."

Federer had the luxury of knowing things were entirely in his hands, with the world number two needing one set to be sure of topping the group.

There were a few wobbly moments from the four-time champion but he won fairly comfortably in the end against Soderling to ensure he qualified for the last four without dropping a set.

The Australian Open winner is now hoping to finish the season as he started it by lifting a trophy on the big stage.

Federer, 29, said: "Starting the season great in Australia, finishing the season great in London, the circle would be sort of closed. Then again, I'm still two matches away, two really tough matches."

Nadal will be confirmed as Murray's semi-final opponent if he beats Tomas Berdych this afternoon, but the group situation means the Czech, Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick - who meet in the evening - are all still in contention.