“In 2013, if they play on blue [clay], they can have their own tournament but I am not coming for sure,” says Djokovic!

Novak Djokovic again criticised the blue clay court as he was knocked out of the Madrid Open. Djokovic lost 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 to fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic and vowed not to play in the competition next year if the controversial surface is retained. “In 2013, if they play on blue [clay], they can have their own tournament but I am not coming for sure,” he said. “It is simple – no blue clay for me. The test has failed.” Djokovic has been frustrated by the slippery blue courts all week and Rafael Nadal, who was beaten by compatriot Fernando Verdasco on Thursday, had similar complaints after his defeat. “I want to forget this week as soon as possible and move on to the real clay courts,” Djokovic said. “Here you can’t predict the ball bounce or movement. “I want to perform my best but, if I cannot move and am putting pressure all the time on muscles and my body, and I am worried about not getting injured because the court is unpredictable, then what is the sense in playing here?”

Djokovic was also critical of the ATP and says players must be consulted in future before new initiatives are introduced. “They made a decision without the players agreeing on it so this is a rule that has to be changed immediately,” he said. “The fault is from the people who gave them permission to do these things. This is just a clear example of how our system does not work in favour of players.” Djokovic was particularly critical of former ATP chief executive Adam Helfant, who took the decision to allow Madrid to switch to blue clay in order to make it easier for television viewers to follow the yellow balls. Earlier on Friday, Helfant said he gave Madrid the green light only after receiving assurances the blue courts would play the same as the traditional red surfaces. He said he consulted the players and tournament officials and, realising they could not agree, made the decision himself. Also on Friday, tournament chief Ion Tiriac apologised for the slippery courts but defended the colour switch, which he said had nothing to do with the problems with the court surface. Tiriac explained that the courts, which have to be built from scratch six weeks before the tournament, had been pressed too much, which meant the clay was unable to penetrate the hard base. “The players are right when they say it is too slippery and I apologise,” he said.

There were no problems for Roger Federer, who was a 6-4 6-4 winner against Spain’s David Ferrer, although the Swiss player said he understood the frustrations of Djokovic and Nadal. “It is a pity we are talking about a surface rather than a great shot or a great match,” he said. “After the tournament we will have to sit down and see what happens next year.”

Djokovic and Nadal cruise into the round of 16 in Monte Carlo.

Novak Djokovic and defending champion Rafel Nadal both eased into the last 16 of the Monte Carlo Masters after kicking off their clay court campaigns with straight-set wins on Wednesday. Top seed Djokovic, who is yet to win the ATP 1000 Masters event, encountered few concerns in his opening match as he overcame unranked Italian Andreas Seppi 6-1 6-4 in the second round. Seven-time defending champion Nadal then followed Djokovic on court to register a 6-4 6-3 triumph over Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen.

Kicking off his title challenge, Djokovic raced into a 4-0 lead after 19 minutes before Seppi avoided an opening set bagel with a gutsy hold in the sixth game. The Serb broke in the third game of the second set and with Seppi unable to make any impression against serve, closed out the match in 89 minutes. Awaiting Djokovic in round three is Alexandr Dolgopolov after the Ukrainian 16th seed overcame Monte Carlo-based Bernard Tomic 6-2 5-7 6-1.

‘King of Clay’ Nadal extended his remarkable winning streak at Monte Carlo Country Club to 38 matches with a typically-assured win over unseeded Nieminen. The Spaniard belied any pre-tournament injury fears with a commanding display which ensures he remains undefeated against fellow left-handers on clay. Next up for Nadal will be a third round meeting with Mikhail Kukushkin, a 7-6 (10/8) 2-6 6-3 victor over Italy’s Filippo Volandri.

Also on Wednesday, number seven seed seed Janko Tipsarevic raced past Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-2 6-3 and two home players also progressed. Gilles Simon powered past Portugal’s Frederico Gil 6-3 6-0, while Andy Murray’s third round opponent has been confirmed as Julien Benneteau after he recorded an impressive 6-4 6-3 (9/7) success over Austrian 15th seed Jurgen Melzer.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will play a charity exhibition match at the Bernabeu Stadium on July 14.

Real Madrid have confirmed that tennis stars Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will play a charity exhibition match at their Bernabeu Stadium on July 14. The event is to raise money for the Realmadrid Foundation and the Rafa Nadal Foundation, which both use sport as a tool to encourage social integration. It is hoped the chance to see the top two players in the world in action will attract a crowd in excess of 80,000 people, and it will be a particularly special occasion for Nadal, who is a passionate Real Madrid fan. A statement on the Real Madrid website read: “The pitch at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium will turn into a tennis court on 14 July for a charity match between Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic. “It will be organised by the Realmadrid Foundation and the Rafa Nadal Foundation, hoping to gather a record 80,000+ crowd and collect proceeds for projects developed by both foundations.” Djokovic and Nadal were the finalists in this year’s first Grand Slam in Australia. Serbian Djokovic prevailed 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 in an epic contest lasting five hours and 53 minutes, making it the longest final in Grand Slam history.

Nole is a three-time Sony Ericsson Open champion!

World no.1 captured his 11th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title and 30th career trophy when he beat no.4 seed Andy Murray 6-1, 7-6(4) in 2 hours and 17 minutes on a hot Sunday afternoon. Nole dominated the first set breaking Murray in the fourth and sixth games for 6-1. The second set went to a tie-breaker, Nole won it 7-4 to become just the third male to lift three trophies in Miami (Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras). Djokovic has not dropped a set at Crandon Park. En route to the final, he beat Marcos Baghdatis, Viktor Troicki, Richard Gasquet , David Ferrer and Juan Monaco. Novak is now 3-1 in Miami finals. He defeated Canas in 2007 and Nadal in 2011, and lost to Murray in 2009. Match statistics: aces (5-3), double faults (1-3), winners (19-16), unforced errors (38-39), total points won (86-70).

“Any title is big, and it means a lot,” said Nole. “I’ve won three times here. I think that says enough about how I feel playing in Miami. I love the crowd… I have been really playing well in the last couple of years here, so this is going to be very encouraging for me prior to the clay-court season.” The 24-year-old Serbian star will open clay season at Monte Carlo Rolex Masters. The first of three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events played on clay will be held from April 15 to April 22 at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.

Rafael Nadal won an Open Era record seventh successive title there last year.

Novak Djokovic claimed a 6-0 7-6 (7/5) win over Argentina’s Juan Monaco to book his place in the Sony Ericsson Open final against Andy Murray.

In contrast to Murray, who advanced without playing a shot as Rafael Nadal withdrew through injury, what looked like being a simple outing for Djokovic turned into something more taxing as Monaco battled back in the second set. The first set could barely have been simpler for Djokovic as he dropped only eight points. And though Monaco upped his game in the second set, making life uncomfortable for the top seed, Djokovic seemed to be on his way to a straightforward win as he served for the match at 5-4. But, just as David Ferrer did, Monaco broke back and took the set into a tie-break. It only delayed the inevitable, though, as the defending champion sealed his progress on his second match point. “As I did yesterday in the quarter-finals, I started very strong, just going for the shots, being very aggressive,” Djokovic told the ATP Tour website. “Then I just wasn’t able to close it out. “It was a very similar match to the one against Ferrer. “It was [an] exciting match I think for us to play and for the crowd. I didn’t expect an easy match and [I’m] just happy to be through.”

Nadal, meanwhile, revealed he pulled out of his semi-final against Murray because he did not want to “lie to everybody”. The world number two fell foul of his long-suffering knees in Miami, this time his left one, handing Murray a free pass. Nadal still opted to face the media, though, and admitted he made the decision, albeit just two hours prior to the start of the match, in the interests of honesty. “I waited until today in the morning. I did a lot of treatment yesterday,” he told www.atpworldtour.com. “But I am not ready to compete today. I am very sorry for the fans. I’m very sorry for the tournament. I’m very sorry for everybody who was ready to watch the match on television. I cannot go on court and lie to everybody.” Murray was disappointed not to be able to put his game plan, worked out with coach Ivan Lendl, to the test. “Every time you play against one of the top guys in the world, it’s always a good opportunity to see where your game’s at,” he was quoted as saying on telegraph.co.uk. “I have been working with Ivan now for a couple of months, on certain tactics that would work against Rafa, Novak and Roger [Federer]. “It would have been nice to see whether or not those things were working.”

Murray will get the chance to try out some of those tactics as he faces Djokovic for the third time this season in Sunday’s final. Djokovic beat the Scot in five sets in the Australian Open semi-final on his way to claiming the Melbourne crown, but Murray got some revenge at the same stage in Dubai.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic both moved into the quarter-finals in Miami on Tuesday.

Nadal was given a tough workout by Kei Nishikori before reaching the last eight of the Sony Ericsson Open, while Djokovic was also tested before seeing off a determined Richard Gasquet. World number two Nadal eventually secured a 6-4 6-4 win, although he lost his serve in both sets. Nadal was forced to call upon his renowned battling qualities before moving into the last eight of a tournament he has never won, despite three final appearances. The Spaniard took more than an hour to win a closely-contested opening set, one in which he took a medical time-out for treatment on his left knee. However, when he resumed, Nadal claimed the set when Nishikori hit a wild forehand out. Nadal soon got in front in the second set and he served for the match at 5-3 only to lose his delivery. However, he simply broke his Japanese foe in the very next game to complete victory and set up a quarter-final tie with either Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Florian Mayer. “At the end of the first set, I felt that I started to win my serves easier than him,” Nadal said after the match. “I had more the control of the game.” Speaking about his injury, Nadal admitted: “I am not probably in perfect condition today with the left knee. “But the important thing is to try to win as many matches as possible. For me this is an important tournament, and every victory has very, very big value for me, especially without being perfect.”

Djokovic later joined him in the quarter-finals by fending off the dangerous Gasquet, winning 7-5 6-3. The Frenchman had break point to leave himself serving for the first set but missed his opportunity and Djokovic reeled off the last three games to clinch it. A solitary break of Gasquet’s serve proved enough for the defending champion in the second set. He’ll now meet David Ferrer, who disposed of Juan Martin Del Potro 6-3 6-3.

Andy Roddick crashed down to earth following his victory over Roger Federer as he lost 7-5 6-0 to 21st seed Juan Monaco. Meanwhile Jo-Wilfried Tsonga saw off Florian Mayer 6-3 6-2. Janko Tipsarevic beat Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (7/3) 6-2 and the Serbian will meet Andy Murray next. American number one Mardy Fish saw off Nicolas Almagro in a tight tussle that went to three sets. Fish, seeded eighth, hit 16 aces and lost just two points behind his first serve as he eventually prevailed 6-3 6-7(2/7) 6-3.

Djokovic will face big John Isner in Saturday’s semi final.

Novak dismissed 12th-seeded Spaniard Nicolas Almagro in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 in 81 minutes at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday to reach the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. 2008 and 2011 IW champion made a break in the fourth game of the opening set. The Spaniard bounced back, but handed the break straight back to the world’s best player to put the Serb back in front by two. This time Nole consolidated the break for 5-2 lead. He wrapped up the first set in 30 minutes with a love service game. The top seed broke Almagro in the ninth game of the second set when the Spaniard hit a backhand long. Novak held serve to love in the 10th, an ace putting him 40-0 up before he ended the match with a crunching backhand winner down the line.

“It was always going to be a tough match,” Novak said in a courtside interview after reaching the last four. “Almagro is an established top 10 player. What made me very happy and satisfied with my game today was my serving. When I had chances, I used them.”

Match statistics: aces (5-3), double faults (0-3), winners (13-14), unforced errors (17-30), break point conversion (3/7 – 1/1), total points won (67-48). With the victory, Novak improved to 14-1 on the season. He is looking to win his third trophy at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The 24-year-old will look to advance into the finals for the fourth time when he squares off against John Isner (11) on Saturday. The American defeated Frenchman Gilles Simon (13) in three sets 6-3, 1-6, 7-5. Nole leads Isner 2-0, their last match was at 2010 Beijing SFs (7-6(1), 6-2).

Dubai semifinals set: Federer v. Del Potro, Djokovic v. Murray.

Roger Federer powered to a 12th consecutive victory over Mikhail Youzhny, a result which seals the four-time champion’s place in the semi-finals of the Dubai Championships. The Swiss world No 3, who has not won the ATP 500 event since 2007, moved within two wins of a fifth title after posting an impressive 6-3 6-4 victory over the Russian. A solitary break of serve in each set was good enough for Federer, who improved his head-to-head record over Youzhny to a remarkable 12-0 without fending off a single break point. Speaking after the win, Federer said: “I thought Mikhail was making a lot of chances. It just didn’t go his way. “I just played well on my service games and I think the speed of the courts here helps with that. “I think I also have a good focus this week. So I have to keep it up if I want to win the title.”

Federer will face eighth seed Juan Martin del Potro in the last four after the Argentinian defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 6-2. Del Potro defeated Tsonga on his way to the Open 13 title in Marseille last week and had little trouble completing a second win in quick succession against the Frenchman. Although the first set was a closely-fought affair, Del Potro was clearly a class above in the second and eventually eased to a comfortable win. Del Potro holds a 2-9 mark versus Federer, having lost their past three meetings. “All the matches are different, all tournaments are different, [so] I’m trying to find a way to beat again him,” del Potro said. “His game is really difficult for me. He plays slices, dropshots, and he’s one of the best in history. So I just want to be ready for fight and to see how I’m going to play against him.”

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic recorded a first straight-sets victory over good friend Janko Tipsarevic to book a last-four date with Briton Andy Murray, who put out Tomas Berdych. The world No 1 won the all-Serbian quarter-final 6-1 7-6 (8-6). The Serb powered his way through the opening set before staving off a set point to edge Jankovic, who coughed up two double faults, in the tie-breaker. “I thought I started really well,” Djokovic told the ATP Tour website. “He was missing first serves, didn’t have a high percentage. “Then in the second set, whenever I had a break ball he served well. So he was very close to take that second set. Then who knows what could have happened. We both got a little bit nervous towards the end, I guess, and it was just luck to prevail.” As for his clash with Murray, he said: “Every time you play, especially top four, it’s a big challenge for both of us. “Especially after that Australian Open thrilling match that lasted for five hours. It’s going to be a good match. We both look forward to that. We always try to win against each other and it’s a great rivalry.”

 

 

7 out of 8 top seeds advance to the quarters in Dubai……Mardy Fish doesn’t!

Novak Djokovic took 90 minutes to book his place in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships on a day when seven of the eight top seeds all successfully advanced. Djokovic recovered from a break down in the second set to beat Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 and seal a last-eight showdown against his friend and fellow Serbian Janko Tipsarevic. Tipsarevic, seeded seven, shrugged off a below-par first set to beat Italy’s world number 86 Flavio Cipolla 6-7 (7-2) 6-1 6-1, and Djokovic expects a much tougher match against his Davis Cup team-mate. Djokovic told atptour.com: “[Janko] is very dangerous from the baseline. When he has time and steps into the court, he is very dangerous. I need to try to be aggressive and stay close to the line.”

The only top eight seed to fail to reach the quarter-finals was American sixth seed Mardy Fish, whose disappointing recent form continued as he was beaten 6-2 7-6 (7-0) by Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny. Next up for Youzhny is second seed Roger Federer, who swept past Feliciano Lopez of Spain 7-5 6-3 and said: “I stayed calm and found a way to come through. These are the kinds of matches you need at this stage in a tournament.”

Third seed Andy Murray had few problems dispatching Swiss qualifier Marco Chiudinelli 6-3 6-4. Murray did not face a single break point in the match and broke his opponent twice to ensure a routine progression. Murray’s next opponent, Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych, enjoyed an even more comfortable run to the last eight with a 6-1 6-2 win over Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko in just 69 minutes.

The final quarter-final will be between in-form Juan Martin Del Potro, who beat qualifier Andrey Golubev 6-4 6-2, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who was a 6-3 6-4 winner over Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic.

Novak Djokovic has been named the Sportsman of the Year for 2011, at the Laureus World Sports Awards!

At the Ceremony, staged in the heart of London at Central Hall, Westminster, the world’s best player, winner of 10 titles last year and reigning Australian Open champion, has won the top honour seeing off competition including stars like Lionel Messi, Usain Bolt, Dirk Nowicki and others.

“Thank you for this great award. I am beyond words to describe how i feel tonight. Just to be in the same room with the world’s greatest athletes, whom I will allow myself to call “LEGENDS of the sport“ is a great honor and privilege. Well, then, you can imagine how honored I feel right now to be entitled to hold this award, and to be called the World’s sportsman of the year. This award means a lot to me, my team, my family, and my fans around the world. I will use this opportunity to thank the Laureus Foundation for doing a great job around the world. Sport is indeed an inspiration and motivation to many of us, the language we all understand and love. I hope that my example can send a powerful message to all the kids around the world. I was also a kid who grew up in a poor country, torn apart with war, kid who dared to dream about becoming the world’s best athlete. And yet, I stand here in front of you tonight, with this special and dear award, and hope that each kid dares to dream, and choses this path that I chose. Sport is something that every society should nurture, and this is what Laureus stands for. I will make sure on my side that the message is conveyed and that sport stays as pure as it is today. Thank you for considering me for this award, and for honoring me to take it home with me tonight.”