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Tennis

Nadal fails to overcome Djokovic hurdle

Rafael Nadal’s hopes of ending a disappointing year on a winning note were dashed by Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the year ending ATP World Tour Finals in London on Saturday.

Novak Djokovic in action against Rafael Nadal in the semifinal of the ATP Tour Finals in London on Saturday.
Novak Djokovic in action against Rafael Nadal in the semifinal of the ATP Tour Finals in London on Saturday. Reuters / Tony O'Brien
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The world No 1 easily beat the Spaniard in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 to reach his fourth consecutive World Tour final in a row.

Nadal, who made early exits from Wimbledon and the US Open and failed to defend his French Open crown, had seen his ranking slip to No 10 this year.

However, he showed signs of returning to form in this tournament by comfortably reaching the semi-finals. The world number five beat Andy Murray, David Ferrer and Stan Wawrinka in the group stages.

However, Nadal couldn’t get past the challenge of the in-form Djokovic who will face Roger Federer in the final.

Federer had a slightly tougher outing in his semi-final match against his Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka. The 17 Grand Slam winner won 7-5, 6-3 to set up a repeat of last year’s final which Federer lost.

Despite his convincing win over Nadal, Djokovic will be wary of Federer having lost their group stage encounter in straight sets.

Speaking about the final, Federer said that it will be a fantastic meeting. “Djokovic played a great match against Rafa,” he added.

Djokovic said he didn’t feel unbeatable.

“But it does definitely feel great when I'm playing the way I played,” he said.

“I've lost against Roger three times this year. When he's on, it's hard to play him. We always play matches with a lot of tension. There is a lot at stake. I know I have to be on top in order to win against him. Hopefully I'll be able to play better than I've done a few days ago."
 

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