TENNIS in DEPTH.

Nadal rarely needed to hit top form in beating his fellow Spaniard 6-4 6-4 6-2 on a sweltering Rod Laver Arena. The second seed next plays seventh seed Tomas Berdych, who beat Nicolas Almagro in a stormy match. Federer ended Australian Tomic’s hopes with a dominant 6-4 6-2 6-2 win to set up a match with Juan Martin del Potro. I did what I had to do to win in straight sets and, against a really good player, that’s very positive for me. I’m feeling fine,” said Nadal, who had strapping on his right knee and left foot and has now reached the quarter-final stage without dropping a set for the fourth time in five years. ”It’s positive to keep winning in straight sets, especially in these conditions. It was a very, very hot day. Nadal’s all-round game was too much for 18th seed Lopez, whose passive approach played into his compatriot’s hands.

Bidding for his 17th Grand Slam title, Federer was ruthless in his victory over crowd favourite Tomic, 19. The 30-year-old, who has not lost to a teenager since 2006, broke the Australian six times to advance to his 31st consecutive quarter-final where he will face Del Potro of Argentina.”I thought I played a really good match,” said four-time Australian Open champion Federer. “I knew I had to. Anything else wouldn’t have done the job.”

Del Potro overcame Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time since winning the 2009 US Open. With his wrist problems finally in the past, the 11th seed from Argentina saw off German Kohlschreiber 6-4 6-2 6-1.

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Novak Djokovic brushed aside Roger Federer in straight sets to book himself a place in the final of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition in Abu Dhabi. Djokovic had complained of feeling rusty heading into the event but showed little sign of lethargy as he routed Federer for the loss of just three games. Indeed, such was the Serb’s dominance he needed less than an hour to complete victory, wrapping up a 6-2 6-1 success in just 44 minutes. Djokovic broke Federer twice in the first set and, at one point, reeled off nine games on the trot as he raced through a one-sided second. The end came when a lacklustre Federer drilled a forehand long, one of a string of unforced errors from the Swiss. ”It is the perfect start to season. I played great,” Djokovic said. “It’s something that makes me very happy.”

Rafeal Nadal showed his lack of motivation as he was easily beaten by fellow countryman David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2. Ferrer moves on to the final against Djokovic.

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Rafael Nadal was knocked out of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the group stage as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga powered his way to a 7-6 (7/2) 4-6 6-3 victory over the world number two at London’s O2 Arena. Nadal’s thrashing at the hands of Roger Federer on Tuesday had put him into a straight shoot-out with Tsonga for the second semi-final place and, although he levelled the match in the second set, there was no denying the Frenchman in the decider. Nadal had taken a month off prior to the tournament with next weekend’s Davis Cup final against Argentina in mind, and he certainly lacked his usual sharpness. Tsonga played a superb match, though, to reach the semi-finals for the first time, and he said: “I just played amazing. It was not easy for me to come here against Rafa but I did it tonight and I’m very happy.” As well as a place in the semi-finals to play for, there was also something to prove for Nadal after his 6-3 6-0 thumping by Federer two nights ago.

While the scoreline was largely down to Federer being in a zone even Nadal cannot reach, the Spaniard’s cause was not helped by a lack of penetration on his serve and groundstrokes that has betrayed a lack of confidence at times this season. Tsonga, with his explosive shots and aggressive intent, would provide a real test on the relatively fast surface, some pundits even making him the favourite. And the Frenchman was certainly quick out of the blocks, testing Nadal’s famous defences from the off. It did not take long for them to wobble, Tsonga forcing two break points in the fourth game, but he could not take either.

Tsonga beat Nadal most recently at Queen’s this summer, one of only two wins he had managed in eight meetings prior to today, and it was all the world number two could do to keep pace in the early stages here.

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Roger Federer produced a stunning display of tennis to thrash his great rival Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-0 and book his spot in the semi-finals at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. A packed O2 Arena brimmed with excitement as arguably the best two players of all time took to the court for their 26th clash in a repeat of last year’s final. Federer had won only seven of their previous meetings but he was simply on another level as he wrapped up victory in 61 minutes, winning 10 of the last 11 games. Their considerable history certainly weighs heavier on Federer’s shoulders, which made the fact they were meeting in a round-robin clash for the first time all the more intriguing. The feeling was the cushion that provided would allow the 16-time grand slam champion to play more freely, and, with Federer having won all their previous three matches indoors, he was the clear favourite. It did not look that way when Federer began with a double-fault but he crunched a forehand winner on the next point to get on the board, and in a quite breathtaking sixth game he broke through. A forehand creamed down the line gave him 0-30, and the Swiss star’s aggressive approach then earned him three break points when Nadal offered up an easy smash. The clinching point summed up what makes the pair so special, the momentum swinging this way and that in a pulsating rally before Nadal drove a backhand just wide. The crowd, who were split fairly evenly, roared their appreciation, and the Swiss flags were waving again shortly afterwards when another Federer forehand winner gave him the first set. It had been a similar story in the first set of last year’s final before Federer’s level dipped and Nadal fought back to level. The Spaniard’s confidence is not nearly as high as it was 12 months ago, though, and he was struggling to get sufficient depth on the ball to stem the Federer tide. And he was made to pay again in the opening game of the second set as the world number four drilled another sublime forehand winner down the line to secure a second break of serve.

Nadal had been troubled by a stomach upset in his three-set win over Mardy Fish on Sunday, but today it was Federer’s brilliance that was making the French Open champion sick. He simply could not cope with the speed of the 30-year-old’s game and Federer made it four games in a row with another break. The staple of Nadal’s success against his great rival has been his ability to pin Federer on his backhand but the Spaniard’s forehand does not have the same bite and kick on indoor courts and his shots were being swatted away. Nadal was battling simply to get on the board in the second set but he could not manage it and Federer wrapped up his first love set against the Spaniard for four and a half years.

The result means Nadal must beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in his final Group B match on Thursday to reach the last four.

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Rafael Nadal thinks Yannick Noah should be banned from commenting in the media after the French tennis great accused Spanish athletes of widespread doping in a controversial newspaper column. Nadal reacted angrily Sunday when asked about Noah’s claim in Saturday’s edition of Le Monde newspaper that French athletes no longer had a chance against their Spanish opponents because they “don’t have the magic potion.”

Nadal, speaking at the ATP World Tour Finals, added that Noah’s remarks were “totally stupid” because of the amount of doping tests conducted on athletes throughout the season. He said Noah’s thoughts were like those of a “kid.” Fellow Spaniard David Ferrer, who is competing with Nadal at the ATP finals, has also condemned Noah’s comments, as have high-profile football coach Pep Guardiola and French Minister for Sports David Douillet. Noah, the 1983 French Open champion, suggested that Spanish athletes were consistently more well-built than their French rivals and said they must be doping—without offering any other proof. “How can a country (Spain) dominate sport from one day to the next?” Noah asked. “Had they discovered avant-garde training techniques and methods that no one else imagined?” Noah even proposed the idea that the French authorities should relax their rules on doping in order to keep up. Ten-time Grand Slam champion Nadal said Noah’s comments reflected badly on the former tennis star’s home country, not Spain. “The image of the country when one guy, important guy like him, say that, is terrible.”

The Spanish radio station COPE reports that French player Michael Llodra apologized to Rafael Nadal and his uncle Toni for the comments made by former Roland Garros champion Yannick Noah, where he alleged that Spanish athletes are doping. ”I’m sorry about what Noah said,” Llodra was quoted as saying, to which the Nadal’s responded: “We don’t understand.” Llodra then allegedly said: “He’s stupid and maybe he was…” and then made a gesture tipping his hand toward his mouth to indicate that Noah might have been drinking.

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Rafael Nadal survived a stern examination of his title credentials to edge out the brilliant Mardy Fish in a late-night classic at the ATP World Tour Finals. Nadal had not played a competitive match since 13 October and it was all-too apparent as eighth seed Fish fought back from losing the first set to threaten a massive upset. The crowd at London’s O2 Arena were treated to a titanic decider as the clock ticked and both men gave absolutely everything to secure an opening-day win. Nadal eventually emerged triumphant at 2329 GMT, winning 6-2 3-6 7-6 (7-3) in two hours and 53 minutes of enthralling competition.

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Rafael Nadal has pulled out of next week’s BNP Paribas Masters to ensure he is in peak condition for the ATP Tour Finals and the start of the 2012 season. The Spaniard, who last competed in Shanghai last month but saw his tournament end at the last-16 stage with defeat to Florian Mayer, will instead focus on the year-ending event in London which starts on November 20 as well as his preparations for next season. Nadal said on his official Facebook page: “I won’t be playing this upcoming week the tournament in Paris Bercy. ”It’s been a difficult decision to take but I understand that it is what I need to do right now to prepare well for the end of this season and also for 2012.

“I hope I can be back in 2012 to that great event in the most beautiful city in the world, and hopefully try to win it once day.” Nadal has had, by his own standards, a mixed year with just three titles to his name, at the French Open and in Barcelona and Monte Carlo.

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Four-time winners Spain will host three-time runners-up Argentina in the final of the Davis Cup in December after they beat France and Serbia respectively. While Spain cruised past France 4-1 in Cordoba, Argentina enjoyed a narrow 3-2 overall victory with their progress confirmed when world number one Novak Djokovic had to retire through injury during his match with Juan Martin del Potro. Del Potro was leading 7-6 (7/5) 3-0 when Djokovic, who won the US Open title last Monday, went down with a scream and had to be carried to the bench, giving Argentina an unassailable 3-1 lead with one rubber remaining. Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic narrowed the final deficit when he won the first set against Juan Monaco who subsequently retired.

Spain, though, eased impressively through with Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco both enjoying straight-sets wins over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet. Djokovic admitted with hindsight his decision to play against Argentina was not the correct one given the back injury he was carrying from the US Open. He said: “I feel very disappointed to end the tie in this way, I tried although I was only 60 per cent fit and I got into the match knowing there was a risk of aggravating the injury which I first felt at the US Open. ”We knew my condition was not good but we believed that even so I would have a better chance against Del Potro than my team-mate Viktor Troicki would. At the end of the day it was my decision and it backfired. ”I am not saying I would have won if I had been 100 per cent fit because Del Potro played at a very high level today and never in my professional career did I struggle with my return of serve as I did today. ”The important thing now is to determine the extent of my injury and how long it will take me to recover, I was able to battle through the pain in the US Open final but not today.”

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