Nadal is beaten again in London

TENNIS WORLD TOUR FINALS:WORLD NUMBER two Rafael Nadal crashed out of the ATP World Tour Finals, losing 6-1 7-6 (7-4) to Russian Nikolay Davydenko last night in London.

Nadal showed his fighting spirit in the second set, going 5-4 up, before Davydenko broke to serve for the match. Nadal broke back to set up the tie-break, only for Davydenko to complete the win with a stunning forehand.

Earlier yesterday, Swede Robin Soderling became the first qualifier for the semi-finals when he battered world number three Novak Djokovic 7-6 6-1 for his second major shock of the tournament.

Soderling, only competing in the elite year-end showpiece at London’s O2 Arena after Andy Roddick’s injury-enforced withdrawal, backed up his opening Group B win over Nadal with another magnificent display of power and precision.

Djokovic has played almost 100 matches on Tour this year, including his three-hour victory over Davydenko in his opening round-robin match in Group B on Monday, and it showed as he appeared to throw in the towel in the second set.

The Serb, winner of the tournament 12 months ago when it was held in Shanghai, barely had enough energy afterwards to answer questions about his defeat and he will have to pick himself up quickly for his final round-robin match against Nadal which will decide whether or not he joins Soderling in the semis.

“I didn’t enjoy playing today’s match, that’s for sure,” Djokovic, who made 24 unforced errors and hit just six baseline winners in the match, told reporters. “I’m just fatigued from the whole season.

“He had nothing to lose today. I think it’s his first Masters Cup. He won four straight sets and absolutely deserved to qualify for the semi-finals. I think he’s the best player so far in the tournament.”

Since his stunning victory over four-times champion Nadal at the French Open and subsequent run to his first grand slam final in which he was beaten by Roger Federer, he has proved that he belongs in the world’s top 10.