Sports: Tennis: Novak Djokovic of Serbia beats Roger Federer of Switzerland, the once-reigning champ hitherto

BBC Sports (Mar19,2k11)



Djokovic beats Federer to take 


world number two ranking

Djokovic has dropped just one set so far in the tournament

Djokovic has dropped just one set so far in the tournament

Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in three sets to take the world number two ranking and set up an Indian Wells final against Rafael Nadal (Spain).

The 23-year-old Serbian will replace 16-time Grand Slam champion Federer in the rankings after a 6-3 3-6 6-2 win in the BNP Paribas Open semi-finals.

Djokovic took his 2011 record to 17-0 and next faces Nadal, after the Spaniard beat Juan Martin del Potro.

Top seed Nadal recovered from a slow start to defeat the Argentine 6-4 6-4.

There's not much to say about Rafa - he's a big champion, definitely showed his quality today and showed he's in really good form, but I'll step in and try to be aggressive.

Novak Djokovic

He was given a helping hand at the start of Saturday's first semi-final as Nadal made a sluggish start, missing a break point chance in the opening game before dropping serve himself moments later.

The world number one was in trouble at 4-1 down but gathered himself impressively to reel off five straight games as he took the set, with his forehand doing much of the damage.

A single break at 2-2 in the second was enough as Nadal saw out the victory to end a three-match losing streak against Del Potro and close in on a third Indian Wells title.  ...

Djokovic has been the man to beat this year and has had the better of Federer in recent encounters, including victories in the US and Australian Open semi-finals and the Dubai final.

The pattern continued in the California desert as Djokovic's movement and relentless pressure from the baseline had Federer repeatedly misfiring, with a forehand into the net giving up the first break at 2-2.

Read more from BBC Sports excellent coverage - Sportikos

Djokovic beats Nadal to take 

world top ranking in tennis

AssociatedPress (Mar21,2k11)

The official ranking is bit different from mine. 

Novak Djokovic beat top-ranked Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to win the BNP Paribas Open title Sunday at Indian Wells, Calif.

Djokovic improved to 18-0 this year, including victories at the Australian Open and in Dubai last month. He will move into the No. 2 spot when the ATP Tour rankings are released today, having bumped Roger Federer down to third after Federer lost to Djokovic in the semifinals. Nadal will remain No. 1 with a 14-3 record.

The official ranking is bit different from mine.  Doesn't seem altogether fair.  -- Sportikos

Sports: Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals with Federer vs Djokovic

Live Roger Federer v Novak Djokovic BBC (Nov27,2k10)  Dig the technics evidenced below in the L+v Text Commentary:

LIVE TEXT COMMENTARY (all times GMT) No need to reload page, content below updates automatically. More info To get involved, please use Twitter, 606 or text us your views & comments on 81111 (UK). (Not all contributions can be used. Messages will be charged at standard operator rate) By David Ornstein 2210: So that just about wraps up our coverage of the ATP World Tour Finals semi-finals. One was absolute belter of a match, the other a cold-blooded demolition. It leaves us with the tantalising prospect of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer scrapping it out for the 22nd time in Sunday's final; the latest instalment in one of the greatest rivalries the sport has ever seen. Kick-off is 1730 GMT and you really, really don't want to miss this one. Really. See you then. Oh, and in the meantime, you can relive Federer-Djokovic via Piers Newbery's excellent match report. Night. Times tennis correspondent Neil Harman on Twitter: "I only hope Rafa recovers physically from the ultra-demanding semi v. AM. If so, a final to savour. They last played 5 mnths ago in Madrid." BBC Sport's Piers Newbery tweeting from the O2 Arena:"Federer finishes off NoDjo 6-1 6-4 after 79 minutes and looks like the favourite to me now. Federer v Nadal in the final. Tasty." 2151: "It seems like it's working this week," says Federer following his victory. "I played well against a player who's had a great season. I played a great match so I'm very happy. I hope I can keep this up for a long, long time. I'm really enjoying myself and I hope I can produce something good tomorrow. Rafa showed today why he is the best player in the world at the moment and it should be a good match. We haven't played that much recently but I'm looking forward to playing him. Our styles match up well and he's always very respectful, which I appreciate. We've had some epics and some matches that didn't quite live up to expectations. Hopefully tomorrow will be a great match." Federer 6-1 6-4 Djokovic Text book front foot cover drive (this is cricket, isn't it?) puts Federer 15-0 up. When Djokovic goes long it's 30-15 and a forehand wide makes it 40-15. Two match points. Djokovic frames a forehand return into the crowd. That's it. Game, set and match Federer. Still hasn't dropped a set all tournament. No smiles from Federer - his mind is firmly set on Sunday's final against Rafael Nadal. The final everyone wanted. Nadal v Federer at 1730 GMT. Can't wait.