feliciano lopez

SPAIN CLINCHES DAVIS CUP

December 5, 2009 by WTM

Spain won the Davis Cup for a fourth time Saturday in Barcelona as Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez defeated Radek Stepanek and Thomas Berdych 7-6, 7-5, 6-2 to clinch a 3-0 victory over the Czech Republic.

Spain firmly established itself as the modern day Davis Cup powerhouse with its fourth title since 2000. Spain also won the Davis Cup in 2004 and last year. The only nations to win the Davis Cup more often than Spain are the United States (32 titles), Australia (28 titles), France (9 titles), Great Britain (9 titles) and Sweden (7 titles). Spain is the first team to repeat as Davis Cup champion since Sweden in 1997-1998.

The hero of the weekend was David Ferrer who beat Stepanek in an epic match, coming back from two-sets-to-love down to put Spain in the commanding 2-0 after day one. Feeding off the boisterous home support among the 16,200 capacity crowd, Ferrer won an unlikely 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 8-6 decision. In the opening match of the series, world No. 2 Rafael Nadal defeated Berdych 7-5, 6-0, 6-2.

“It was an epic win but it won’t serve for anything if we don’t win the title,” Ferrer said after his win Friday. “It was an important victory, sure, but we have to win the whole thing for me to be able to savor it.”

Nadal set Spain on their way by edging the first set before taking the next two in irresistible style.

“After that first set I just started to play much better,” Nadal said. “I was able to control the points a lot better and I wasn’t making so many mistakes.”

Stepanek had looked equally commanding in the opening two sets of the second match, ruthlessly picking off Ferrer’s second serve and reeling off nine unanswered games after an exchange of breaks at the start of the match. Ferrer hinted at a comeback when he took a 2-1 lead in the third and, after an almighty tussle, managed to consolidate.

Stepanek got the break back but soon succumbed again and Ferrer served out before emerging the stronger player for the fourth set. He built a 5-2 lead before clinching it at the second attempt, with Stepanek starting to tire. The Czech stayed with Ferrer in the decider but he handed the Spaniard a break with a drop shot into the bottom of the net and Ferrer gratefully took advantage.

BARCELONA’S OFFERINGS FOR THE TENNIS TRAVELER

December 1, 2009 by WTM

The Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Finals are going to be held in Barcelona Dec 4-6, 2009 as Spain will host the Czech Republic. The event will take place at Barcelona’s Palau Saint Jordi, the arena built for the 1992 Olympics. The site has a capacity of 17,000 and was the site of Spain’s first Davis Cup victory over Australia in 2000. Spain’s current captain Albert Costa was a member of that victorious team.

Spain will try and become the first country since Sweden in 1998 to retain the title. The Spanish team is at full strength and includes Rafael Nadal, Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez. The Czech Republic trying to capture its second title after first winning in 1980 have also named a strong side including Radek Stepanek, Tomas Berdych, Jan Hajek and Lukas Dlouhy.

The organizers have already set the stage to entertain visitors from both Spain and abroad. Besides the tennis, the organizers have arranged nightly music, tours, dining festivities and a taste of Spanish culture. For the visitor who has never been to Barcelona, it is one of the most exciting cities in Europe. This second largest city in Spain is the capital of Catalonia. Located on the Mediterranean coast, Barcelona has one of the best weather all year round. Today, this global city is a major tourist destination and has a very rich cultural heritage. There is lots to do in Barcelona.

For those who want to get a tan after watching the tennis, Barcelona has many nice sandy beaches. This cosmopolitan city of three million is also well known for its thriving night life with many live music, clubs and pop festivals. Barcelona also has many great museums of which the most famous is the Picasso museum. Other great attractions in Barcelona include the Sagrada Familia, Ramblas, Casa Mila, Tibidabo, Castell de Montjuic, Parc Guell and Muse del Temp Expiatori and Parc de la Ciutadella to mention a few.

For those who are going to see the tennis, many hotels have already opened doors and are offering great discounts. Some of the recommended hotels’ for the Davis Cup include the hotel Art Barcelona. This luxury hotel about 16 miles from the airport and is as classy as all other Ritz Carltons. While the hotel is superb, the food is quiet expensive. The cost for staying here is $300 per night. The Gran Hotel la Florida on top of Tibidabo Mountain is located 10 miles from the airport and is highly recommended. At $230 a night this is a splendid hotel. The only negative is that the hotel is some ways away from other historic sites in Barcelona.

For those on a more limited budget, the Hesperia Presidente is a small boutique hotel with all the amenities. At $119 a night it serves an excellent breakfast and is located in the prime downtown district. The only negative is that it does not have a pool. The Fira palace is an exquisite hotel with modern day charms and Spanish elegance. Perhaps the most recommended. At $133 a night, this palace is sure to make your stay in Barcelona very pleasant.

There are also many travel agents who can book an inclusive package deal for the Davis Cup which includes 3-4 day stay and air trip for under $2200. The best thing to do before you fly out is to go browse online. With the current recession, many hotels in Barcelona are offering superb package deals. Who knows you may get to stay a night or two for free and also get to enjoy the tennis. Buena Viaje

This Week in Tennis Business: Buchholz to step down in 2010 as Sony Ericsson Open chairman

November 18, 2009 by WTM

By: Justin Cohen

Butch Buchholz, founder and tournament chairman of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, will be stepping down following the 2010 event. The event started in 1985 by Buchholz, is now owned by IMG.
Roger Federer signs a 10-year sponsorship deal with Credit Suisse. As a part of the deal, the Swiss bank will make significant annual contributions to the Roger Federer Foundation, a charity founded by Federer to help disadvantaged children in Africa. “I am excited about this opportunity to act as a global ambassador for Credit Suisse,” Federer said in a statement.
2009 US Open champion Kim Clijsters will appear on the front cover of You! Magazine, a women’s magazine set to be published in the United Kingdom on November 22.
The USTA and Tennis Industry Association announced that tennis participation in the United States reached more than 30 million players for the first time in more than two decades. “The USTA continues to work closely with the entire tennis industry to grow our game, and we are extremely gratified that our collective efforts have generated such strong growth,” said Lucy S. Garvin, the USTA President and Chairman of the Board. “We continue to strive to make tennis easier to learn and more fun to play, and this commitment has led to millions of more Americans playing the game. I am proud of our network of sections, states/districts, and community programs who have worked so hard to increase participation.”
The USTA announced that they will honor tennis legend Pancho Gonzalez by offering annual Pancho Gonzalez Scholar Athlete Grant to one male and female high school student of Hispanic heritage for a total of $5,000. Each winner, who aspires to reach excellence in competitive tennis and in the classroom, will receive a $2,500 grant. “We are very proud to announce the Pancho Gonzalez Scholar Athlete Grant,” said Lucy S. Garvin, the USTA President and Chairman of the Board. “Pancho Gonzalez was a trailblazer for Hispanic-American tennis players, and this grant will both further his legacy and assist those student athletes who continue to be inspired by his accomplishments.”
$700,000 was recently raised during the 20^th annual Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro Celebrity Tennis Classic at the Delray Beach Tennis Center in Delray Beach, Fla.
Maria Sharapova and Melanie Oudin have entered the 2010 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Cellular South Cup in Memphis. The event will take place from February 14 to 20 at The Racquet Club of Memphis.

Maria Sharapova
Ryan Harrison, Jesse Levine, Wayne Odesnik, Rajeev Ram and Donald Young will participate in USTA’s Australian Open playoff with the champion being granted a wild card into the main draw of the first Grand Slam event of 2010. Madison Brengle, Alexa Glatch, Christina McHale, Asia Muhammad, Alison Riske and Coco Vandeweghe will participate in the women’s event. Both events will take place from December 4 to 7 at The Racquet Club of the South in Atlanta.
Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova will play an exhibition match at the Hua Hin Centennial Invitation in Thailand on January 2 to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of Centennial Park, a seaside resort. “I am delighted to be able to spend my New Year in Hua Hin, Thailand,” said Sharapova. “I am sure it will be an exciting time and I am looking forward to competing in the Centennial Invitation.”
Spain Davis Cup captain Albert Costa announced that Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez will make up the Spanish team for its Davis Cup World Group finals tie against the Czech Republic. The tie will take place on indoor clay at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona from December 4 to 6.
Xavier Malisse and Yanina Wickmayer will both appeal their one-year suspensions to the Court of Arbitration of Sport.
Jean-Francois Caujolle, the tournament director of the Paris Masters 1000, tells Times Online, he will apply for next year’s tournament to be a 32 draw instead of a 48 player draw. The plan would also include an ATP-250 level event to be played the same week as the Paris Masters.
Marat Safin has officially retired from the ATP World Tour last week following a three-set loss to Juan Martin del Potro in the second round of the Paris Masters 1000. Safin, a former World No. 1, won 15 career singles titles including two Grand Slam singles titles during his career.
Virginia Ruano Pascual has retired from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. The 36-year-old Ruano Pascual was a winner of 42 doubles titles, including 11 Grand Slam titles.
Luis Horna, who won the French Open doubles title last year, will retire from the ATP World Tour following this week’s challenger event in his hometown of Lima, Peru.
Maria Emilia Salerni has retired from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour at the age of 26 because of injuries.
Andy Roddick has been nominated for Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year award, based on his extraordinary performance in his Wimbledon finals loss to Roger Federer in five-sets.
Grammy Award winning musician Wyclef Jean will perform at James Blake’s charity exhibition event on Tuesday, December 1 at Pier 94 in New York City.
Alicia Molik has been awarded a wildcard into the Hobart event in the beginning of January. The tournament will mark her first WTA-level main draw event in her Sony Ericsson WTA Tour comeback.

Mondays With Bob Greene: It’s difficult to play 11 months at a high level

October 19, 2009 by WTM

STARS

Nikolay Davydenko beat Rafael Nadal 7-6 (3) 6-3 to win the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai, China

Yanina Wickmayer won the Generali Ladies Linz, beating Petra Kvitova 6-3 6-4 in Linz, Austria

Samantha Stosur beat Francesca Schiavone 7-5 6-1 to win the Japan Women’s Open in Osaka, Japan

Marcos Baghdatis beat Denis Istomin 6-3 1-6 6-3 to win the Tashkent ATP Challenger in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

SAYING

“I think it’s ridiculous to think that you have a professional sport that doesn’t have a legitimate off season to rest, get healthy, and then train.” – Andy Roddick.

“In 2004 we had this discussion … and they were blaming me that I’m playing too much. And I was saying hat the season is too long. We should make it shorter. And the guys, they jumped on me, like I was the one who was wrong. So, look at all of them – everybody is falling apart. Everybody is getting injured left and right, and everybody is complaining the season is long. It takes six years to realize that something is wrong?” – Marat Safin.

“It’s difficult to play 11 months at a high level, but we know they are working on that, so we hope that there will be a good change for the future.” Juan Martin del Potro, after retiring from his match in Shanghai with an injured wrist.

“We can’t expect just to shorten the season by a month or two because that would hurt certain tournaments. We have to make a compromise. The ATP is an association of tournaments and players together. … The schedule, in my opinion, is too long, but we have to go step by step and try to solve it.” – Novak Djokovic.

“They just have to deal with that, not when they are 21 and ambitious and want to make money. They have to think a little bit with their brains and to make the career a little bit longer.” – Marat Safin.

“I just can say I am going to work hard to be at my best as soon as possible and I am not seeing myself very far off that. I would love to have a title, but if I am still playing like this in Paris and London, it’s difficult, sure.” – Rafael Nadal, after losing in the final at Shanghai, China

“I think I was a little bit lucky, but mostly I was playing very well today. I did a good job in three weeks in Asia.” – Nikolay Davydenko, who beat Rafael Nadal to win in Shanghai two weeks after capturing the title in Kuala Lumpur.

“It has been a personal goal for a while, so I’m glad to have achieved it and it’s the perfect way to finish my year in singles. My next goal is to reach the Top 10, for which I would need to play like today every day.” – Samantha Stosur, after winning her first career singles title.

“I gave her nothing for free. She won every point.” – Francesca Schiavone, after losing to Samantha Stosur in Osaka, Japan.

“It was an unbelievable week for me.” – Yanina Wickmayer, after winning the Generali Ladies.

“Unfortunately, I’m this kind of player. I can play very good one week and terrible the next.” –Feliciano Lopez, speaking at the Shanghai Masters.

“For the first time in tennis, nobody won.” – Fernando Verdasco, joking about the abbreviated exhibition he played with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as they rode on a Maglev train traveling 268 mph (431.3 kph) for the 7½-minute trip in Shanghai, China.

“I haven’t really focused a whole lot on the tournaments that I’m playing. It’s more a focus on little things I want to work on out there and improve on my game and try and become a better player for January – then have a real crack next year.” – Lleyton Hewitt.

“I don’t agree with a punishment for someone who has not been doping, but just purchased a food supplement which was supposed to be a drug-free. That’s a problem for me.” – Ivo Kaderka, Czech tennis federation president, bemoaning the eight-month ban handed Ivo Minar after he tested positive for a banned substance.

“I live and learn. It cost my marriage, it cost for the next couple of years my private life, but having Anna is not a mistake any more. I have a beautiful daughter. Today, I wouldn’t want to miss it for a minute. I love her very much.” – Boris Becker, talking about the daughter he had with Russian fashion model Angela Ermakova in 1999.

STOSUR SHINES

After capturing 22 doubles titles, Samantha Stosur finally has a singles crown to add to her trophy case. The 26-year-old Australian won her first WTA Tour singles title by beating Italy’s Francesca Schiavone 7-5 6-1 at the Japan Women’s Open in Osaka, Japan. Until her success, Stosur had lost five straight finals, including this past August in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her victory also is the first on the WTA Tour for an Australian woman since Alicia Molik beat Stosur in Sydney, Australia, the week before the 2005 Australian Open. Schiavone still has only one title in 11 tournament finals.

SUSPENDED

Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic has been handed an eight-month ban for testing positive for a banned substance. Minar was tested after the Davis Cup quarterfinal against Argentina in July and, according to the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the banned stimulant methylhexanamine was found. Minar claimed he took a food supplement that contained the substance and he did not intend to cheat. The ITF said it accepted Minar’s explanation, but that didn’t deter the organization from handing out the suspension. “It’s a player’s strict personal duty to ensure that no prohibited substance enters his or her body, whether as an ingredient in a nutritional supplement or otherwise,” the ITF said in a statement.

SICK CALL

It has turned into almost an annual event for tennis fans in Shanghai, China. When the ATP Tour comes to town, injuries seem to decimate the field. This year’s woes for the Shanghai Masters began prior to the tournament when Roger Federer withdrew citing fatigue and Andy Murray pulled out with a left wrist injury. Things went downhill from there. Andy Roddick injured his left knee in a second-round match and had to retire. Tommy Haas retired with a right shoulder injury before US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro pulled out with a right wrist injury. Jose Acasuso and Mischa Zverev also retired from their matches with injuries before Gael Monfils did the same, citing an injured back. Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka, who was playing Roddick when the American retired, quit a later match with a stomach problem, while Ivan Ljubicic retired with a leg injury. Del Potro has already qualified for the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals next month in London, while Roddick is close to clinching a berth for the season-ending tournament.

STRONG ENDING

Novak Djokovic says his fitness regime is the reason he is finishing the year strongly, despite losing in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters. The Serbian right-hander said looking after his body has a longer-term goal than merely winning titles late in the season. “I’m trying to keep my body in good condition all the time,” the 22-year-old said. “The bottom line is that you want to stay healthy after your career. It’s great if you are successful in what you do, but you don’t want to live up to 30 and then just have big problems with the knees and back like most of the professional tennis players do when they finish their careers.” Djokovic replaced Murray in this week’s rankings as number three in the world.

STARTING RICH

The world’s top two players – Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – will open the 2010 season by playing in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. The three-day event starts December 31 and offers a winner-take-all prize of USD $250,000. The six-player event is not part of the ATP Tour. Last year, Andy Murray won the inaugural event, beating both Federer and Nadal. Besides Federer and Nadal, others scheduled to play in Abu Dhabi are Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Nikolay Davydenko, Fernando Verdasco and Robin Soderling.

STRAIGHT IN

Justine Henin won’t have to worry about qualifying for her first Grand Slam tournament since she un-retired. The Belgian superstar has been granted a wild card entry into the Australian Open, a tournament she won in 2004. Henin will not have a protected ranking when she returns to the tour and so will need to get wild card entries or enter qualifying to gain a spot in the main draw. Henin announced her comeback right after fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters won the US Open in only her third tournament back from her retirement.

STREAKING IN SHANGHAI

Talk about playing fast. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Fernando Verdasco played a modified exhibition match while hurtling around Shanghai, China, in a high-speed train. Billed as the “fastest tennis in the world,” Tsonga and Verdasco played on mini-tennis court laid down in one of Shanghai’s high-speed Maglev trains as it reached a cruising speed of 268 mph (431.3 kph) during the nearly 7½ minutes it took to make the 18.6-mile (30k) trip from the Longyard Railroad station to Pudong International Airport. “The feeling is special because we are going faster than our serve and it’s crazy,” Tsonga said. “You are a little bit nervous when it’s really fast.” Both Tsonga and Verdasco played in the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000.

SWITCH COMING?

Andre Agassi believes the domination of the men’s game by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is coming to an end. And Agassi picks Andy Murray as the one who will take over the top of the rankings. “Now we have possibly the changing of the guard,” Agassi said. “You have those top two who are now losing ground to the likes of (Novak) Djokovic and Murray and (Juan Martin) del Potro.” However, the change might not be immediate. Agassi said Federer “still has the chance to do some more special things,” Agassi said.

SHARING GOLD

Although they were the top-seeded team in the tournament, Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Katarina Srebotnik had never won a title as a duo. Oh, Groenefeld had 10 WTA Tour doubles titles going into the final at Linz, Austria, while Srebotnik had 20. But their first title together came at the Generali Ladies when they beat the second-seeded team of Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska 6-1 6-4. It was Srebotnik’s first title since returning to the WTA Tour after an injury put her out of action for 10 months.

SLAMMING

Lleyton Hewitt has some harsh words for tennis administrators in his native Australia. On his website, Hewitt has backed Paul McNamee’s bid to oust incumbent Tennis Australia president and chairman Geoff Pollard. Hewitt said it was time for Pollard, who has held the two posts for 20 years, to go. “In my opinion tennis in Australia and the way it is being administered needs addressing as we are falling behind many other nations in the world as well as other sports in our own country,” Hewitt said. “So where should be the first place one looks for change? At the top, the president, the chairman of the board.” A major tennis power until the turn of this century, Australia currently has only four players in the top 100 in the world – Hewitt and Peter Luczak in the men and Samantha Stosur and Jelena Dokic among the women.

SAFIN SPEAKS

Making his final appearance in Shanghai as a player on the ATP Tour, Marat Safin bid farewell to his Chinese fans, but not before taking a swipe at Andy Roddick, who has called for a shorter season. Safin, once ranked number one in the world, said he suggested in 2004 that the season should be shortened but was shouted down by other players. In 2004 “I was saying the saying the season is too long,” Safin said. “And the guys, they jumped on me, like I was the one who was wrong.” During the tournament Roddick complained about the length of the season, saying it should be shortened.

SET FOR BALI

Yanina Wickmayer and Anabel Medina Garrigues are the first two players to qualify for the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions to be played in Bali, Indonesia, next month. The tournament will pit the 10 highest-ranked players plus two others who have won at least one WTA Tour International title during the year and have not qualified for the singles at the Sony Ericsson Championships. The Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions will feature a 12-woman round-robin singles format offering USD $600,000 in prize money and an opportunity to earn a USD $1 million bonus.

STRAPPED FOR CASH?

The wedding of former tennis ace Mark Philippoussis to actress Jennifer Esposito is reportedly up for sale. According to magazine sources, negotiations are underway regarding an exclusive two-part deal with one story focusing on the couple’s engagement and the other on their wedding ceremony. The talk is that the successful bidder will pay as much as USD $200,000 for the two stories.

SIBLING RIVALRY?

High school sophomore James TenBroeck and his sister, freshman Kari TenBroeck, wrote themselves into the record book when they each won their respective regional singles championships in Reno, Nevada, USA. James was the top seed coming into the tournament and was expected to win. Kari, on the other hand, had the tougher draw, defeating in the title match her teammate and two-time defending champion Amelia Ritger.

SHARP LOSS

Tennis Australia reportedly has lost more than USD $6.3 million in the past financial year, primarily due to reduced investment income linked to the global financial crisis. Other factors for the loss include paying for the improvement of playing facilities across Australia, according to the Age newspaper. The year’s first Grand Slam tournament recently announced next January’s tournament will have a record payout, an increase of more than 4 percent from this year.

SUCCESSOR

Now in line to succeed Tim Phillips as Wimbledon chairman is Philip Brook, who has been elected vice chairman of the All England Club. Phillips is scheduled to step down in December 2010. The 53-year-old Brook has been a member of the Wimbledon tournament committee since 1997 and a member of the All England Club since 1989. He captained the Cambridge University tennis team in 1977. Wimbledon said Phillips had been due to retire in December after 10 years as chairman, but was asked to remain for an additional year to allow his successor to have one year as vice chairman.

SUCH A GOOD CAUSE

Two US Open surprises, Melanie Oudin and John Isner, along with brothers Mike and Bob Bryan will participate in the BCF Tennis Challenge in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 9. The BCF Tennis Challenge presented by The Baltimore Sun, started by Pam Shriver, is the longest running annual charity tennis event in the world and will celebrate its 24^th anniversary in Baltimore. Since 1986, more than USD $4 million has been raised and distributed to area charities through Shriver’s partnership with the Baltimore Community Foundation. At the US Open, Oudin defeated three former top-three players, including Maria Sharapova, while Isner upset Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick.

SIMON TO CEO

Entertainment industry veteran William Simon has been named chief operating officer of Tennis Channel. He will continue his role as chief financial officer of the cable network. Simon joined Tennis Channel in 2005 and most recently held the position of executive vice president, business operations and chief financial officer.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Shanghai: Julien Benneteau and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski 6-2 6-4

Osaka: Chuang Chia-Jung and Lisa Raymond beat Chanelle Scheepers and Abigail Spears 6-2 6-4

Linz: Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Katarina Srebotnik beat Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska 6-1 6-4

Tashkent: Denis Istomin and Murad Inoyatov beat Jiri Krkoska and Lukas Lacko 7-6 (4) 6-4

SITES TO SURF

Stockholm: www.ifstockholmopen.se/en-gb/

Moscow: www.kremlincup.ru/

Orleans: www.opendorleans.com/v2/

Seoul: www.tennis.co.kr

Luxembourg: www.bgl-bnp-paribas-open.lu/en/home.php

St. Petersburg: www.spbopen.ru/eng/index.html

Vienna: www.bankaustria-tennistrophy.at/

Lyon: www.gptennislyon.com/

Doha: www.sonyericsson-championships.com/

Poitiers: www.itfpoitiers.over-blog.org

Ortisei: www.itfvalgardena.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

$1,080,500 Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard

$885,000 If Stockholm Open, Stockholm, Sweden, hard

$157,000 l’Open d’Orleans, Orleans, France, hard

$100,000 Copa Petrobras, Santiago, Chile, clay

WTA

$1,000,000 Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard

$220,000 BGL Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

ATP

$966,000 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, Lyon, France, hard

$855,000 Bank Austria TennisTrophy, Vienna, Austria, hard

$750,000 St. Petersburg Open, St. Petersburg, Russia, hard

$125,000 Flea Market Cup Busan Challenger Tennis, Busan, Korea, hard

WTA

$4,550,000 Sony Ericsson Championships, Doha, Qatar, hard

$100,000 Internationaux Feminins de la Vienne, Poitiers, France, hard

$100,000 Internazionali di Tennis Val Gardena/Sudtirol, Ortisei, Italy, carpet

Nadal and Davydenko reach Shanghai final

October 17, 2009 by WTM

Rafa Nadal reached the final of the Shanghai Masters when Feliciano Lopez retired on Saturday, the second evening in a row when the top seeded Spaniard’s opponent had to withdraw injured.

World number two Nadal was coasting at 6-1 3-0 when his compatriot Lopez, struggling with an ankle injury, became the ninth player to fail to finish a match at the $3.24 million tournament.

The 23-year-old will face Nikolay Davydenko in Sunday’s final after the Russian sprang an upset on second seed Novak Djokovic with a 4-6 6-4 7-6 victory.

Nadal, who benefited from Ivan Ljubicic’s withdrawal to reach the last four, has not played a tour final since May’s Madrid Masters as knee and abdominal injuries disrupted his season.

“I was playing well today,” he told reporters. “I’m in the final which is very good news for me. I’m very happy, it’s my first final since my comebcak from injury.”

Lopez found an ace to help him win the opening game of the match but from then on Nadal dominated, winning the next six in a row and claiming the first set when his opponent went long.

The world number 41 turned his right ankle on that point and the match was over as a contest, Lopez bringing it to its inevitable conclusion 21 minutes later.

Lopez’s retirement can only fuel the debate about the length of the men’s season, which was sparked on Monday when Andy Roddick branded it ‘ridiculous’ and said it threatened to shorten the careers of the top players.

Sixth seed Davydenko lost twice to Djokovic at the Masters Cup here last season but was an altogether different proposition on Saturday.

The 28-year-old kept Djokovic under pressure throughout the three-hour contest before running away with the deciding tiebreak 7-1.

“The match today was long and heavy,” Davydenko told reporters. “This was really difficult all match. I was lucky, he was lucky. In the tiebreak, I was more lucky.”

Serbian Djokovic, who was chasing back-to-back titles after his win in Beijing last Sunday, left the court dejected after falling to his first defeat in his last 11 matches in China.

“I’m disappointed because I think I played a great match but overall these two weeks have been great for me,” said the 22-year-old, who will move back to world number three next week.

After a string of errors gave Djokovic the first set, Davydenko mixed things up more in the second and earned his reward when he evened the match up with an ace.

The Russian kept up his pressure on his opponent’s serve in the decider without ever making the breakthrough but was 5-0 up in the tiebreak before his opponent registered a point.

He claimed victory with a crushing forehand winner to take his place in his fourth final of the year, two weeks after winning his third title of the season at the Malaysian Open.