Thursday, March 28, 2024

Djokovic sets up Nadal final

Defending champion Novak Djokovic set up a title showdown against Rafa Nadal at the ATP World Tour Finals with a 6-3 6-3 defeat of Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka on Sunday, reports Reuters. The Serb, who lost his number one ranking to Nadal in October, was too solid for Wawrinka in the day’s second semi-final as he racked up a 14th consecutive victory over the 28-year-old.
Djokovic used all his defensive skills in the eighth game of the first set to convert a break point for a 5-3 lead and took the opener with an ace.
Wawrinka, who has made the semi-finals on his debut appearance at the season-ending showpiece, hung on grimly in the second set after dropping serve but Djokovic was clinical as he stretched his winning streak to 21 matches.
In the first semi-final Nadal beat Wawrinka’s fellow Swiss Roger Federer 7-5 6-3.
Djokovic, who like Nadal had a 100 percent record in round robin play, will be desperate to retain his title after ceding the world number one ranking to the relentless Spaniard in October.
“We are both having a great season this year. This is probably the best possible final we have here in London. We’ll see what happens tomorrow,” Djokovic, who was rock solid against tournament debutant Wawrinka, told a news conference.
“This is probably the most competitive tournament that we have after grand slams in our sport, and we both want to end this season in the best possible way and end it with a title.”
Wawrinka, who twice pushed Djokovic to five-sets in the year’s standout matches at the Australian and U.S. Opens, held on grimly in the second set but could only applaud at one point as Djokovic somehow reached a certain winner and clawed a forehand across the bows of the in-rushing Swiss.
Two breaks in the second set completed the Djokovic masterclass and a 14th consecutive win over Wawrinka.
“I didn’t have enough energy today…against him, that makes a big difference,” Wawrinka said.
Earlier, Roger Federer slid his racket into his bag and walked off into the shadows of London’s o2 Arena on Sunday as his leanest season since 2001 came to a rather predictable end at the hands of Rafa Nadal.
The 32-year-old’s 7-5 6-3 defeat in the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals ended his hopes of winning the title for a seventh time and with his ranking now on the slide there is no telling if he will ever return at the season-ender.
Federer, who has spent a record 302 weeks as world No.1 during his glittering career, preferred to look at the positives after his 22nd career defeat by Nadal.
The Swiss 17-times grand slam champion pointed to his strong finish to a disappointing year, with a final in Basel followed by a semi-final run at the Paris Masters and wins over world No.5 Juan Martin del Potro and Richard Gasquet in London.
He also pushed Novak Djokovic hard in Paris where he was a set and a break up and also here this week while on Sunday against Nadal he matched the Spaniard for the first 10 games.
The statistics are beginning to stack up against him, however, and inevitable questions are being raised about Federer’s prospects for 2014.
His one title this year was on grass at Halle.
At Wimbledon, as defending champion, his proud record of reaching at least the quarter-finals at 36 consecutive grand slams ended in the second round, almost unthinkably, against 116th ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky.

-With The News Today input

Related News

Carlos Alcaraz defeats Novak Djokovic in thrilling final to claim his first Wimbledon title

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Carlos Alcaraz defeated seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in a thrilling final to win his first Wimbledon title, on Sunday. The defeat was Djokovic’s first on Center Court since 2013 Alcaraz won 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 to end the Serbian’s dominance at Wimbledon. The Spaniard looked very nervous throughout the ... Read more

Djokovic into 14th Wimbledon quarter-final

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Novak Djokovic reached the Wimbledon’s quarterfinals for the 14th time by eliminating Hubert Hurkacz on Monday. The World No. 2 edged out 17th-seeded Pole 7-6(6), 7-6(6), 5-7 and 6-4. It was the Serb’s 100th match at the tournament. “Big credit to Hubert for playing an amazing match – tough luck for ... Read more

Novak Djokovic reaches Italian Open quarterfinals for 17th straight year

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Novak Djokovic booked his place in the Italian Open quarter-finals for the 17th straight year with a 6-3 6-4 victory over British No.1 Cameron Norrie in Rome on Tuesday. World No.1 Djokovic, the defending champion in Rome, complained about the quality of the courts in the build-up to the match but ... Read more

Emma Raducanu to miss French Open and Wimbledon due to recurring hand and ankle injuries

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com British tennis star Emma Raducanu said she will miss this year’s French Open and Wimbledon Championships after undergoing surgery on her wrists and ankle. Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, the 2021 US Open champion revealed the blow in a hand written note posted to her feed alongside a picture of her ... Read more

Djokovic Able to Play at US Open as Vaccine Mandate Set to End

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com World number one Novak Djokovic will be able to compete at the US Open this year after the US government said on Monday it will end its COVID-19 vaccination requirements for international travelers on May 11. Djokovic, one of the most high-profile athletes unvaccinated against COVID-19, missed the US Open in ... Read more

Covid vaccination status: ‘No regrets’ over missing US tournaments, says Djokovic

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Ace tennis star Novak Djokovic said he had no regrets about missing tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami due to his COVID-19 vaccination status. But the Serbian star – who was not allowed to compete at Indian Wells and Miami due to his refusal to be vaccinated – still hopes that ... Read more

Andy Murray pulls out of Dubai due to ‘hip injury’

Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray has pulled out of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, due to a “recurring hip injury”. Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Andy Murray has withdrawn from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships due to a hip injury after his run to the Qatar Open final. The former world number one ... Read more

Novak Djokovic wins Australian Open and matches Nadal record

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2023 Australian Open final 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), to win his 22nd Grand Slam title (5). The victory in Melbourne means that Djokovic matches Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles, and the Serbian celebrated this one with a huge grin after ... Read more

Sabalenka wins Australian Open for first Grand Slam crown

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com On Saturday, Aryna Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam by defeating Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Australian Open final. The Belarusian tennis sensation won the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and $2 million after coming from a set down. It wasn’t an easy climb for Sabalenka. She started the game ... Read more

Martina Navratilova has breast and throat cancer

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Navratilova has breast and throat cancer. The 66-year-old Czechoslovakian, who was diagnosed this week, told Tennis.com that the ailment is treatable. The tennis legend was diagnosed with cancer again after 2010 when she was clear after six months of his initial diagnosis. “The double whammy is serious, but fixable, and I’m ... Read more

Naomi Osaka tops Forbes’ Highest-Paid Female Athletes list again

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Forbes lists Naomi Osaka as the highest-paid female athlete in 2022 for the third consecutive year, earning $51.1 million. Serena Williams made $41.3 million after her. Eileen Gu, who became famous during the 2022 Beijing Olympics, earned $20.1 million, including $20 million in endorsements. In total, the 25 highest-paid female athletes ... Read more

Djokovic hoping for a send-off like Federer’s

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Novak Djokovic said he wants his fiercest rivals by his side when he ends his career, similar to Roger Federer’s heartfelt farewell to the sport last week. Pictures of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal sitting together and crying after Friday’s Laver Cup doubles loss at London’s O2 Arena went viral on ... Read more

Roger Federer announces his retirement from competitive tennis

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Roger Federer, a legendary tennis player from Switzerland, has announced his retirement from competitive play at the age of 41, citing signals from his body. Federer has recently had to deal with surgeries, injuries, and a burgeoning field of new stars. “I have played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years,” ... Read more

US Open 2022: Iga Swiatek beats Ons Jabeur to win US Open

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com World number one Iga Swiatek defeated Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur to win her second Grand Slam title of the year with a straight sets victory in the US Open final on Saturday. Polish star Swiatek overcame a spirited second set fightback from fifth seed Jabeur to win 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) in 1hr ... Read more

Maria Sharapova announces she is pregnant with first child

By Dhaka Mirror: dhakamirror.com On Tuesday, Maria Sharapova celebrated her 35th birthday, posted on Instagram to her 4.2 million Instagram followers, but the reaction to this particular birthday post will supersede any previous one, after she announced she was expecting her first child with fiancée Alexander Gilkes. She wrote: “Precious beginnings!!! “Eating birthday cake for two ... Read more

Serena Williams hints at tennis return

Serena Williams, has dropped her first hint that she could return to action at Wimbledon later this year. It comes after her long-time coach Patrick Mouratoglou announced he would work with Simona Halep on a ‘full-time’ basis. Williams, 40, has not played since retiring from her first-round match at Wimbledon last

Ashleigh Barty retires from professional tennis at age 25

Ashleigh Barty is retiring from professional tennis, she announced in a post on Instagram. In a surprise announcement, world number one Ashleigh Barty on Wednesday said she is retiring. “Today is difficult and filled with emotion for me as I announce my retirement from tennis,” the Australian said on Instagram. “Thank you to everyone who ... Read more

Naomi Osaka exit in tears after heckling during Indian Wells defeat

Naomi Osaka fought back tears after exiting Indian Wells in the second round as she said a heckler in the crowd affected her. The Japanese star, playing just her third event since taking a break in September to concentrate on her mental health, was taunted in the second game of the match after losing her ... Read more

Novak Djokovic ‘willing’ to sacrifice trophies than get Covid vaccine

Novak Djokovic has said he would rather miss out on future tennis trophies than be forced to get a Covid vaccine. In an interview with BBC, Novak Djokovic, the 34-year-old world No 1 said he is willing to skip the French Open and Wimbledon over his stance, but said he is not part of the anti-vax ... Read more

Barty lands first home Australian Open triumph in 44 years with victory over Collins

Ashleigh Barty beat Danielle Collins to win the Australian Open title, ending the home nation’s 44-year wait for a Grand Slam women’s singles champion. Barty took the first set in routine fashion but came within two points of dropping her first set of the tournament when the American took a 5-1 lead but