An ailing Rafael Nadal added his name to the list of upsets at the Shanghai Masters after the Spaniard suffered a 6-3, 7-6(6) loss to Feliciano Lopez in Wednesday's second round, as fourth seed Stanislas Wawrinka and in-form Kei Nishikori also made early exits. Nadal's great rival Roger Federer survived a huge scare, saving five match-points before overcoming Argentina's Leonardo Mayer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(7).
Roared on by 17,000 partisan fans Novak Djokovic fired Serbia ahead in the Davis Cup final on Friday but Tomas Berdych hit back for the Czech Republic to leave the tie delicately poised going into the weekend.
I physically feel very fit. I'm very motivated to keep on playing on a very high level, says Novak Djokovic.
American twins Bob and Mike Bryan added another accolade to their lengthy resume after taking the Shanghai Masters men's doubles title on Sunday to become the first pair to win all nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments.
Spaniard David Ferrer's late push for a place in the ATP tour finals got off to a laboured start with a 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 win over compatriot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez at the Valencia Open on Tuesday.
World No 2 Rafael Nadal sailed into the quarter-finals of the China Open, his first tournament in 13 weeks, with a 6-3, 6-4 win over German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk on Thursday.
Roger Federer is looking for a change of fortune. And in that direction, the former World No 1 split from his American coach Paul Annacone on Saturday.
A hoped-for fight to the finish for the year-end number one ranking at next month's ATP World Tour Finals in London will likely be a coronation for Rafael Nadal, who is virtually guaranteed ending 2017 top of the pile.
'It's a new era and will be like adapting to a different routine. Moya has come with new ideas and new methods of working that have worked well and we are excited'
'If someone told me (I would end the year as number one) at that time it was looking quite improbable'
Andujar, ranked 75th in the world, made a strong start, while Federer struggled to settle into his serving rhythm early on.
Canada's world number three Milos Raonic has parted ways with coach Carlos Moya after the Spaniard guided the big-serving right-hander through his best season on the circuit. The 1998 French Open winner joined Raonic's coaching team in January and helped the 25-year-old reach his first grand slam final at Wimbledon and finish the campaign at a career-high ranking, rising 11 places since the end of 2015.
Britain's world number two Andy Murray pulled out of the US Open on Saturday, citing a hip injury.
Top seed Nadal extended his winning streak to 13 matches with a 6-2, 6-1 demolition of American Jared Donaldson in the Qi Zhong Stadium before World No 2 Federer, to the delight of his sizeable Chinese fan club, got the better of Argentina's Diego Schwartzman 7-6(4), 6-4.
Rafael Nadal, after having suffered a 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) loss in the quarter-finals of the Swiss Indoors to teenager Borna Coric, has shut down his season to undergo appendix surgery.
Spain's third seed Roberto Bautista Agut made a smooth entry into the men's quarter-finals at the ATP Chennai Open tennis tournament with a fluent 6-3, 6-2 win over German Peter Gojowczyk.
But for the first time, that golden trio will be having an anxious glance over their shoulders. The past week in London has revealed a new fearlessness in the generation of 20 somethings expected to fill the void when they call it a day.
Novak Djokovic sauntered past Spaniard Feliciano Lopez to reach the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Thursday but Andy Murray had to claw past big-serving American John Isner after losing a first-set tiebreaker.
'I've never been of the thought that Rafa needs rhythm because he's too good for that. But now the situation is different.'
Wawrinka's last ATP title came in 2017 before the former world number three underwent knee surgery.
Andy Murray saved five match points to defeat Jiri Lehecka at the Qatar Open on Friday and reach a first ATP Tour final since June last year.
Tsitsipas made short work of Norwegian eighth seed Casper Ruud as he seized a third Monte Carlo Masters title in four years with a 6-1, 6-4 victory on Sunday.
Rediff.com recaptures these and other exciting sporting moments from the week gone by....
The restart has divided opinion among the players, with some 200,000 new COVID-19 cases being reported globally every day and international travel restrictions still in place.
Rafael Nadal continued his quest for a maiden Paris Masters title when he survived a second set blip to beat Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas
Davis Cup: Ramkumar to lead Indian challenge against Pakistan on grass courts
On court Novak Djokovic is taking tennis to extraordinary new levels with his single-minded obsession with winning; off it the Serbian is more than happy to share power. The 29-year-old will begin his attempt to win a fourth Wimbledon title on Monday when he plays British wildcard James Ward on Centre Court -- 12 months after claiming a second successive title by beating Roger Federer.
Andy Murray took another step towards securing a berth at next month's World Tour finals when he fought off a typically dogged David Ferrer to win 6-4, 7-5 and move into the final of the Valencia Open on Saturday.
Top seed Juan Martin del Potro beat Canada's Milos Raonic in the battle of big-servers on Sunday to bag the Japan Open title and boost his chances of qualifying for the end-of-season ATP World Tour finals in London.
Top seed Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia lived dangerously before making the final with a confident 6-1, 6-4 triumph over qualifier Go Sodea of Japan in the semi-final of the ATP Tour $450,000 Chennai Open Tennis championship on Saturday.
After registering a runner-up finish in the Qatar Open, Andy Murray set himself a target of registering 800 career wins.
Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori will meet in the semi-finals at the Citi Open in Washington on Saturday, their first encounter since the final of last year's US Open.
Audacious coups by Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber have transformed the tennis landscape and they will begin 2017 eyeing the kind of domination that few would have thought possible at the start of a seismic year.
The retired American ace said women were willing to play five-set matches but used the entertainment industry to highlight her stance that athletes will get paid the same regardless of the duration of the matches.
Ivan Lendl might be 'way too busy' to be his mentor but Tomas Berdych has not given up the dream of jumping on the 'super coach' bandwagon.
Roger Federer trounced Croatian teenager Borna Coric 6-2, 6-1 at the Dubai Championships on Friday to set up a potential final showdown with world number one Novak Djokovic.
Novak Djokovic boosted his chances of finishing the season as world number one when he became the first player to retain his Paris Masters title with a 6-2, 6-3 win over big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic in the final on Sunday.
Britain will attempt to win the Davis Cup for the first time in 79 years this weekend when they take on Belgium in Ghent, although if they do succeed the Scottish town of Dunblane could argue its name should be enscribed on the trophy.
IMAGES from the French Open quarter-finals played in Paris on Tuesday.
Petra Kvitova overcame a sluggish start and 10 double faults to beat Madison Keys 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday and advance to the final of the Cincinnati Open, where she will face Caroline Garcia, the first qualifier to reach the final of a WTA 1000 tournament.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances