Wimbledon bigger to Federer than No. 1

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Swiss star Roger Federer says winning Wimbledon is more important to him than regaining his No 1 ranking.

"Wimbledon is something special. There is no substitute for it,'' Federer told reporters Monday, on the eve of an exhibition match in Kuala Lumpur, billed as the "Showdown of Champions.''

Others playing Tuesday night are James Blake, ranked 10th, and two former Wimbledon champions, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg. The quartet will play two singles matches and one doubles.

Federer is currently ranked No. 2 behind Spain's Rafael Nadal, after spending a record 237 consecutive weeks at the top. He lost to fourth-ranked Andy Murray in the Masters Cup in Shanghai on Friday, hampered by the sore back that had forced him out of the Paris Masters two weeks ago.

Federer began the year recovering from a bout of mononucleosis. He lost the French Open and Wimbledon finals to Nadal, who overtook him for the No. 1 ranking. But Federer won the Olympic doubles gold, then his fifth straight U.S. Open to pull within one of Pete Sampras' Grand Slam record.

"While I would also love to beat Pete Sampras' Grand Slam record of 14 titles, and also to regain my No. 1 ranking, I place winning another Wimbledon title above all else,'' said Federer.

McEnroe, who also attended the news conference, said he is excited to be playing in a match that will showcase "two generations of players in action.''

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Djokovic wins Masters Cup

SHANGHAI, China - Novak Djokovic’s victory celebration turned out to be more dangerous than his opponent.

Jubilant after overwhelming Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko 6-1, 7-5 in the Masters Cup final Sunday, Djokovic tossed just about everything in reach — two rackets, wristbands and his sweat-soaked shirt — into the cheering crowd at Qi Zhong stadium.

Then he headed to the players box, where his coach, family and a former Miss Universe were standing and cheering. A joyous group hug ensued, and they all bounced up and down together, reveling in the Serb’s first title in six months.

But when Djokovic walked away, he realized he had cut his left hand somewhere in the joyous melee. It wouldn’t have been good form to drip blood on his new trophy, so he had to ask the trainer to apply a bandage before the awards ceremony.

“You don’t feel the pain in the moments of happiness,” he said.

The victory provided Djokovic with perfect bookends to his year. He won the Australian Open in January for his first Grand Slam.

And that cut? Not serious, and he has plenty of time to heal before starting 2009 — and think about how close he is to breaking the stranglehold that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have had on the top two spots in the rankings since mid-2005.

Federer, who says it doesn’t sound right to hear himself introduced as No. 2 in the world after spending a record 237 consecutive weeks at the top, is intent on taking it back from Nadal.

He better watch his back.

Djokovic’s victory — his first since the Rome Masters in May — pulled him within 10 points of Federer’s total of 5,205, and the Swiss star’s aching back, which caused him to pull out during the Paris Masters two weeks ago and tightened up on him here, is worrisome.

Nadal is 1,470 points ahead of Federer, but the sore knee that caused him to stay away from Shanghai also is keeping him out of next weekend’s Davis Cup final between Spain and Argentina.

Still, making gains will be no easy feat since Djokovic will have to defend his titles early in the year at the Australian Open and Indian Wells.

Djokovic, who complained that his heavy schedule in 2007, his breakthrough year, left him exhausted, also seems to have found a magic elixir that helped him recover in less than 20 hours from his draining three-hour semifinal.

“The secrets of the recovery, I think I’m going to keep more myself,” he said, smiling. “But, yes, I was surprised in a way that I could move so well on the court today. I was a bit skeptical after a long match yesterday and a late finish.”

Instead, it was Davydenko who was left looking out of sorts.

Djokovic was sharp from the start. He won the first five games, allowing Davydenko only six points.

While the fans clearly favored Djokovic at the start, they roared when Davydenko finally got on the board to pull within 5-1.

Djokovic, who said he learned from his Masters Cup debut year when he failed to win a set in three matches, had to fend off double break point in the next game before finishing off the set.

Davydenko saved two match points while serving at 3-5 in the second set. Djokovic, serving for the match, showed some nerves, double-faulting on break-point.

“It’s not easy, you know,” Djokovic said. “There is a lot of pressure involved. It’s very important after not closing out the match to hold your nerves, and that’s what I did.”

Serving at 5-5, Davydenko netted a forehand on break-point. Djokovic didn’t squander the opportunity, easily holding to finish off the match.

Davydenko lamented that he was far from his best. He only got in 47 percent of his first serves and had just 15 winners to 25 unforced errors.

“Against Djokovic you need to be perfect,” he said.

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SHANGHAI, China - Nikolay Davydenko reached the Masters Cup final with a 7-5, 6-2 victory Saturday over Andy Murray, who seemed exhausted from his upset of Roger Federer a day earlier.

Davydenko will meet Novak Djokovic, who earlier rallied to oust France’s Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. In a round-robin match this week, Djokovic beat Davydenko in three sets.

Despite consistently being ranked in the top five, the 27-year-old Davydenko has never reached a Grand Slam final. His best performance in three previous appearances here had been a semifinal loss in 2005.

He was steady and relentless against Murray, who looked exhausted from his 3-hour victory over second-ranked Roger Federer on Friday night. Davydenko was fresher, having not played since Thursday, and he finished with 33 winners to just seven for Murray.

Murray said he had no reason to question his decision to go full out against Federer even though he already had clinched a semifinal spot.

“I beat probably the best player of all time,” he said. “I have no regrets about doing that. To beat him ... means a similar amount to winning a tournament like this.

Murray said he didn’t get to sleep until 2:30 a.m.

“Ideally I would have liked to have beaten him easier ... and given myself a slightly better chance to prepare for this match,” Murray said.

Davydenko said he owed thanks to Federer — and hopes Djokovic’s nearly 3-hour match against Simon will have the same effect in the final.

Murray and Davydenko stayed on serve in the first set until Murray served at 5-5. He went up 40-15, but swung his racket in anger between points as Davydenko pulled to deuce.

Murray thought he had an ace to save a break point, but it was overruled on a Davydenko challenge. Murray wasn’t convinced, walking toward the net for a closer look, then sent a backhand wide for the break.

Davydenko held to finish off the set with an ace and a backhand winner down the line. He then ran off the last five games of the second set as Murray looked increasingly dispirited, trudging around the court between points.

“I don’t want to try to make excuses,” Murray said. “He played much better than me. I did the best that I could with what I had.”

Djokovic struggled against Simon in the first set, committed 21 unforced errors. But the Serb pulled himself together, mixing up stinging groundstrokes with deft drop shots from behind the baseline.

Djokovic, who went 0-3 in his Masters Cup debut last year, got down on his knees and kissed the court after winning in 2 hours, 51 minutes.

“I didn’t have such a great time here last year,” Djokovic said. “Didn’t win a single set. But I learned something. Took the best out of it and used it this year.”

Simon dropped only six points in five service games in the first set. Djokovic made back-to-back mistakes to hand Simon the only break he needed.

In the second set, Djokovic picked up his game and started clipping the lines.

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SHANGHAI, China - Roger Federer was tired, his back was aching and he trailed 3-0 in the deciding set. Still, he wasn’t about to end his pursuit of a fifth Masters Cup title.

So Andy Murray finished it for him.

Murray rallied Friday for a 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5 victory that raised his career record against Federer to 4-2, making him one of the few players to have an edge over the Swiss star.

It was a dramatic conclusion to group play at an event that has largely lacked compelling play. Fans in packed Qi Zhong stadium were on the edges of their seats for three hours.

“It was a great match,” Murray said. “So many sort of twists and turns.”

Murray kept up his chance to double his prize money by going undefeated through the season-ending tournament. He’d already qualified for the semifinals, and he could have tried to save energy for his next match looming in less than 24 hours.

No way. Not against Federer, whom he didn’t want to face again if both were to reach the final.

“A win over Roger Federer means almost as much as winning the Masters Cup to me,” the fourth-ranked Briton said. “He’s the best player of all time. He’s still playing great. I know I’m going to be tired tomorrow, but this match meant a lot to me.

“Psychologically, a win like that is going to be huge for me next time I play him, especially in big matches.”

Murray lost to Federer in straight sets for the U.S. Open championship in September. It was Murray’s first Grand Slam final.

Murray earned a meeting against Nikolay Davydenko that, given the Russian’s baseline style and strong defense, shapes up to be a long, difficult struggle, too. His victory also benefited fellow Masters Cup newcomer Gilles Simon, who earlier beat Radek Stepanek in a meaningless match.

On this day, all that mattered was Murray vs. Federer, who knew he would advance if he won and go home if he lost.

Federer’s problem back forced him to withdraw during the Paris Masters two weeks ago and affected his sturdy serve here. Then he came down with a stomach ailment earlier in the week here that eroded his stamina.

“I don’t quit once I step on court,” Federer said. “Normally, best of three match, it’s peanuts. So it was a pity I couldn’t handle it today. Pretty happy I don’t have a match tomorrow, to be honest.

“I almost made a miracle happen, you know,” Federer said, who is looking forward to trying to get healthy during the offseason. “I can’t believe how close I got, to be honest. So I’m actually very happy.”

Refusing to go without a struggle, Federer saved seven match points while serving at 4-5 in a game that lasted 17 minutes and went to deuce 10 times. Murray converted his next chance two games later, breaking when Federer sent a forehand long.

“When you play against Roger, you got to expect him to play some great stuff, especially when he’s behind,” Murray said. “He hit a couple of aces, a couple of big forehands. I missed a couple of returns I maybe shouldn’t have.”

Federer, trying to repeat last year’s feat of coming back after losing his opening-round match, was hoping to force another tiebreaker but committed three forehand errors while serving at 5-6. He then wearily trudged off court with a brief wave to the fans who overwhelmingly supported him.

“I thought the atmosphere was awesome,” Murray said. “I think it makes the result even better for me that most of the crowd wanted him to win.”

Federer began the year recovering from a bout of mononucleosis. He lost the French Open and Wimbledon finals to Rafael Nadal, who finally overtook him for the No. 1 ranking. But he won the Olympic doubles gold, then his fifth straight U.S. Open to pull within one of Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles.

“It’s been a good year, you know,” Federer said. “Tough to start off with. Tough to end. But I think it gives me the opportunity to start over all new again next year.”

The match was the highlight of a tournament that had seen few of them and had flaws exposed in the round-robin format and substitution system.

Nadal pulled out with knee tendinitis before it began, allowing the ninth-ranked Simon into the field.

Andy Roddick withdrew after his first match with a sprained ankle sustained in practice, leading to the addition of 26th-ranked Stepanek. He was eliminated after losing his first match, playing with borrowed rackets because his gear didn’t make it through Chinese customs in time — they finally showed up minutes before his match against Simon.

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SHANGHAI, China - Defending champion Roger Federer was eliminated from the Masters Cup on Friday with a 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5 loss to Andy Murray, one of those rare players with a winning record against the Swiss star.

Federer, a four-time winner of the season-ending tournament, appeared to be bothered by a sore back that forced him to withdraw during the Paris Masters two weeks ago. Federer received treatment from the trainer three times during the match.

“I don’t quit once I step on court,” said Federer, who noted he had a stomach ailment earlier in the week. “Normally, best-of-three match, it’s peanuts. So it was a pity I couldn’t handle it today. Pretty happy I don’t have a match tomorrow, to be honest.”

Federer saved seven match points while serving at 4-5 before Murray converted two games later, breaking when Federer sent a forehand long.

“A win over Roger Federer means almost as much as winning the Masters Cup to me,” said Murray, who improved to 4-2 against him. “He’s the best player of all time.”

Murray, who had his left hand iced during the match, will play Nikolay Davydenko in the semifinals. Federer’s loss allowed Gilles Simon to advance and play Novak Djokovic.

The ninth game of the third set lasted 17 minutes and went to 10 deuces. Federer fended off the last of the seven match points with an ace, then blasted another before Murray sent a forehand long.

“When you play against Roger, you got to expect him to play some great stuff, especially when he’s behind,” Murray said. “He hit a couple of aces, a couple of big forehands. I missed a couple of returns I maybe shouldn’t have.”

Federer tried to force a tiebreaker, but he committed three forehand errors while serving at 15-15.

Murray already had clinched a semifinal spot from the Red Group. But he lived up to his promise not to take it easy, wanting to avoid the prospect of facing Federer again if both were to make the final.

Federer was trying to repeat last year’s feat of rallying after losing his opening-round match.

“I almost made a miracle happen, you know,” Federer said. “I can’t believe how close I got, to be honest. So I’m actually very happy.”

The atmosphere was more akin to a final than the last match of group play. Qi Zhong stadium was packed, and while the crowd overwhelmingly favored Federer, Murray has won over a lot of fans.

The two players exchanged breaks in the middle of the first set. Then, with Murray serving at 4-5, Federer broke at love.

Murray broke in the opening game of the second set, and again to pull ahead 5-2. He had double-set point while serving in the next game, only to see Federer rally to break.

The Swiss star secured triple breakpoint with Murray serving for the set at 5-4. Murray forced deuce, but Federer whacked a clean forehand winner to set up another break chance, and Murray double-faulted to make it 5-5.

Federer rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the tiebreaker to even it, but Murray ran off the last four points.

Federer had the trainer come out and massage his lower left back as he lay face down on the court during the break, then during the next two changeovers and frequently rubbed the area during the match. At one point, he sat in a linesman’s chair while waiting for Murray to start a service game.

Murray broke him while taking a 3-0 lead, but Federer ran off four straight games. Murray broke the next game to even it at 4-4, with Federer hitting a routine overhead way long on break point.

Federer began the year recovering from a bout of mononucleosis. He lost the French Open and Wimbledon finals to Rafael Nadal, who overtook him for the No. 1 ranking.

Federer won the Olympic doubles gold in August, and a month later captured his fifth straight U.S. Open title to pull within one of Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles.

“It’s been a good year, you know,” Federer said. “Tough to start off with. Tough to end. But I think it gives me the opportunity to start over all new again next year.”

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Davydenko reaches Masters Cup semifinals

SHANGHAI, China (AP) -Nikolay Davydenko advanced to the semifinals of the Masters Cup by beating Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-2 Thursday.

Knowing the winner would advance, Davydenko's defense and relentless groundstrokes were the difference, turning an expected tight match into a rout. He broke Del Potro's serve four times in eight chances.

"Today, I played so good,'' Davydenko said. "I feel great.''

Earlier, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France beat Novak Djokovic of Serbia 1-6, 7-5, 6-1. Djokovic had already been assured of a spot in the semifinals of the season-ending tournament, while Tsonga had been eliminated.

Del Potro was unable to put much pressure on his Russian opponent in the first set, connecting on only 42 percent of his first serves.

Serving while trailing 4-3, Del Potro double-faulted to set up break-point. Davydenko put away a forehand winner off a short ball for the game, then held at love for the set.

After Del Potro held to start the second set, Davydenko won five straight games, leaving the Argentine looking increasingly frustrated. Del Potro held to get to 5-2, but Davydenko finished it off by holding at love, with Del Potro netting a second-serve return on match point.

Del Potro said he didn't see the ball well, was moving slowly and never found his rhythm. But he was still happy about his performance this year - rising into the top 10 - and looking forward to next week's Davis Cup final between Argentina and Spain.

"I'm living a dream,'' Del Potro said.

Tsonga, who lost to Djokovic in this year's Australian Open final, looked listless before coming alive and winning five consecutive games from 5-5 in the second set to take control.

"He was better than me in the two first sets, but I take the second one,'' said Tsonga, who has beaten the third-ranked Serb the last three times they have played. "It was a holdup.''

Tsonga was unusually subdued early in the match, showing only flashes of the form that carried him to the Paris Masters title - an event he had to win to qualify for the Masters Cup.

Djokovic, continuing his efforts to close in on Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the top of the rankings, broke Tsonga twice while finishing the first set in only 25 minutes.

Tsonga pulled himself together in the second set, saving two break-points while serving at 2-2, then finally broke through as Djokovic served while trailing 6-5. The Serb had four unforced errors in the game, sending a forehand long on set point.

Another four mistakes handed Tsonga an early break in the third set. Tsonga broke again, at love, to take a 5-1 lead, then held at love, flicking a lob winner on match point.

"In the third set especially, he played well,'' Djokovic said. "I made some unforced errors. The important thing is that I'm through.''

Federer, a four-time Masters Cup champion, will advance if he wins Friday. He faces Andy Murray of Britain, who is 2-0 in the Red Group and already has guaranteed himself a place in the semifinals.

Gilles Simon of France still has a chance if Federer falters. He will play 26th-ranked Radek Stepanek, who replaced Andy Roddick when the American pulled out Wednesday with a sprained ankle.

Simon got into the elite field when Nadal withdrew before the tournament began with a sore knee. The Frenchman then defeated Federer in his first match.

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Roddick injured, withdraws from Masters Cup

SHANGHAI, China (AP) -Andy Roddick has withdrawn from the Masters Cup after spraining his right ankle during practice - an injury that he said did not appear to be serious.

Roddick made the announcement Wednesday, hours before he was to play Roger Federer in a Red Group match. He was replaced in the tournament by 26th-ranked Radek Stepanek, the first alternate here.

Roddick said he rolled the ankle during a warmup drill for practice Tuesday and initially hoped treatment would allow him to play, but he realized during his pre-match warmup that he couldn't run or serve well enough.

"I came out here and tried to warm up 45 minutes or so ago, and it was pretty apparent that my movement was probably 30 percent or 40 percent,'' he said.

"Unfortunately that's just not good enough to get it done at a tournament like this,'' Roddick said. "I didn't feel like I could go out and try to compete and win a tennis match. It's definitely a tough prospect trying to beat Roger with no serve and not being able to move much.

"The risk/reward wasn't there. You're risking further injury where it might cut into preparation for next year.''

Roddick said his trainer and a doctor told him the injury didn't appear to be serious, and he anticipated being able to do his planned training during the off-season.

"I don't think we're looking at anything more than a week or so,'' he said. "I was planning on going home anyway. Basically I'm just starting that process four days earlier by not being able to finish here.''

Roddick lost his opening round-robin match at the season-ending tournament to Britain's Andy Murray, and Federer fell to Gilles Simon.

Stepanek, of the Czech Republic, could qualify for the semifinals but would have to win both of his matches and hope no more than one of the other players in his group finish with two victories.

"I called him this morning at about 10:00 or 10:30 and said, 'You should prepare like you're going to play. I'm probably 50/50 to play tonight, and I'll let you know as soon as I try to warm up,' " Roddick said.

The 26-year-old Roddick has been hampered by injuries this year, twice sitting out a month, the first after retiring from the Rome Masters in early May after just three games with a shoulder injury.

"You don't really want to end your year like that, but in a way I'd like to leave all these things in 2008 and kind of use them all up here as opposed to bringing them into 2009 with me,'' Roddick said.

"Hopefully I have all these nicknack injury things out of way. They've been pretty frustrating. I feel like I've been playing catchup a little bit ... as far as not being prepared and ready. So I'm very much looking forward to getting healthy and actually having some time to try to get fit again and be prepared going forward next year.''

One thing the early departure does is allow him to focus on acquiring a new coach. He split with Jimmy Connors earlier this year, and had since been working with his brother John.

"There's a short list,'' Roddick said without naming any candidates. "I didn't want to start going through the process of talking to people either over the phone or in person until my season was finished. That's something that I'd definitely like to get taken care of in the next couple weeks.''

Roddick, who was making his sixth straight Masters Cup appearance, is a former No. 1 who has been no lower than 12th in the rankings since 2002.

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