Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday.
Tennis star Stanislas Wawrinka has backed 18 time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer to become the oldest player in history to seal the world number one spot at the age of 35.
Rafael Nadal left no doubt that he would be the overwhelming favourite at next month's French Open after crushing Spanish compatriot David Ferrer 6-2, 6-3 in the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals on Saturday. World number 12 and fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco will be the last man standing in Nadal's way to a record sixth consecutive title in the glitzy principality after he demolished top seed Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2.
Rafael Nadal left no doubt that he would be the overwhelming favourite at next month's French Open after crushing fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-2, 6-3 in the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals on Saturday.
The Indian ace and Robby Ginepri went down to wild card entrants Rainer Schuettler and Michael Kohlmann in the Hambuirg Masters.
Novak Djokovic on Wednesday said it would be difficult to cut down on tournaments despite the leading men's players complaining that the packed calendar is shortening careers. After being forced to pull out of the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday, American Andy Roddick said governing body the ATP must give players a proper off-season.
An exasperated Andy Roddick said the ATP men's tour must give players more time to rest during the season or risk shortening their careers.
Sixth seed Robin Soderling delivered a tennis master class in the opening set before eliminating fourth seed Andy Murray 6-1, 7-6 in the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells ATP tournament on Friday.
Coric, who had failed to win a match in his last two appearances in Beijing and Shenzhen, saved two break points at 3-3 in the second set and clinched the first four games of the decider to record his 32nd match win of the season.
Roger Federer claimed an eighth Swiss Indoor title when he outlasted Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 in front of a partisan Basel crowd on Sunday.
The Serb's dominance in 2016, says Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com, is way beyond numbers. It's about how he forced his opponents into submission.
Swiss master Roger Federer beat Germany's Florian Mayer 6-4, 6-3 to win the Stockholm Open on Sunday and equal Pete Sampras's haul of 64 ATP titles.
It is not the first time Tomic has been in trouble for not trying.
Leander Paes and his partner Lukas Dlouhy rounded off their disappointing campaign at the season ending World Tour Finals with their third successive defeat in London on Friday.
Nadal no longer 'immovable' object in Paris.
She is the second Swiss player to win the tournament after Martina Hingis won the inaugural edition in 2001.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
World number one Rafael Nadal has booked a place in the end-of-season ATP World Tour finals being staged in London for the first time, organisers said on Tuesday.
After Nick Kyrgios, another Aussie involved in verbal volley as tempers flare in Ohio.
Australian Nick Kyrgios caused more on-court controversy in his defeat by unseeded German Mischa Zverev at the Shanghai Masters on Wednesday with a listless performance that could land him in trouble with the ATP.
Defeat by Alexander Zverev at the ATP Finals on Saturday left Roger Federer stuck on 99 career titles, but despite missing out on his century the Swiss said he was happy with his season.
Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles' six-match winning streak ended with their semi-final loss at the ATP Cincinnati Masters event at the hands of Wimbledon champions Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic. The fourth-seed Indo-Bahamian pair lost 4-6, 3-6 to the second seeded Canadian-Serbian combination in a little over an hour match of the US$3 million hard court event.
Former world number one Rafael Nadal displayed more signs of a return to top form with a ruthless 6-2, 6-1 hammering of Stanislas Wawrinka to reach the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Friday.
Rafael Nadal continued his quest for a maiden Paris Masters title when he survived a second set blip to beat Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas
Only three active players -- Novak Djokovic (1080), Nadal (804) and Roger Federer (742) -- have more singles victories than him in world tennis. All this means that David Ferrer has won the most number of matches on the ATP Tour without a Grand Slam title.
Images from Day 4 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday
Marat Safin brought Lleyton Hewitt down to earth on Tuesday when he won the battle of the former world number ones by beating him 6-4, 7-5 in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters.
In-form Victoria Azarenka battled past an ailing but determined second seed Angelique Kerber to set up a Miami Open final showdown against Svetlana Kuznetsova with a 6-2, 7-5 victory on Thursday.
The unprecedented shutdown of world sport in response to the coronavirus spread that has infected more than 134,000 people and killed around 5,000 also prompted organisers to postpone the Formula One motor races in Vietnam and Bahrain. The start of the lucrative Indian Premier League has also been postponed until April 15 as a "precautionary measure", the Board of Control for Cricket in India said.
Rafael Nadal sent another message that he has the world number one ranking in his sight as he began his campaign to win his sixth successive title by equalling his most emphatic victory on the ATP Tour. A superb performance of heavy serving and varied follow-ups from the baseline by the Wimbledon and French Open champion overwhelmed Florent Serra 6-0, 6-1 and carried the Spaniard to the third round of the Cincinnati Masters Series.
Rafael Nadal continued to scythe his way through the Shanghai Masters on Thursday, reaching the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-1 thrashing of temperamental Italian Fabio Fognini.
A long year has taken its toll on some of the world's best tennis players but the relentless Novak Djokovic gives no indication that he is about to slacken the pace as he heads to the season-ending ATP World Tour finals in London.
Russian world number five Nikolay Davydenko believes he needs to adjust his game and find something extra if he is to challenge the world's top players next season.
World number 30 Berrettini saved five points in the marathon second set tiebreak and held on to win it 13-11 for his third ATP crown in last 11 months.
World number two Roger Federer has surpassed Pete Sampras to become the all-time leader in career prize money earnings in men's tennis, the ATP said on Thursday. The five-times US Open champion took his career earnings to over US $ 43.3 million at the Madrid Masters this week.
Yuki Bhambri advanced to the singles second round of the ATP Tashkent Open and reached the doubles quarter-finals, partnering compatriot Divij Sharan, following an upset victory over the top seeds on Tuesday.
Novak Djokovic confirmed he will be coached by Andre Agassi at the French Open after being humbled by German youngster Alexander Zverev in the final of the Italian Open on Sunday.
Leander Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy prevailed over Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles in the super tie-breaker to breeze into the doubles semi-finals of the US $ 2,615,000 ATP Rogers Masters in Toronto. Paes-Dlouhy, seeded seventh edged past fourth seeded Bhupathi-Knowles 6-4, 3-6, 10-5 in one hour and 15 minutes in the quarter-finals of the hard court event.
The fourth seeded Indo-Bahamas pair got a walkover from the American duo of Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick in the second round of the ATP Rogers Masters.
US Open champion Marin Cilic made a shock first-round exit from the Shanghai Masters on Monday after losing 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(2) to fellow Croatian Ivo Karlovic.
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