adminBERLIN – Rafael Nadal maintained first place in the men’s tennis rankings issued by the ATP on Monday.
The Spaniard ensured he would end the year as world number one with victory over Stanislas Wawrinka at the ATP World Tour Finals in London on 6 November.
Nadal went on to lose the final to Djokovic, but on 13 030 points cannot be overtaken by the Serb, who is on 12 260, with Spain’s David Ferrer third on 5 800.
The only changes to the rankings were outside the top 50.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic retained the Davis Cup after Radek Stepanek beat outclassed Serbian youngster Dusan Lajovic in the decisive fifth final rubber in straight sets on Sunday.
The 44th-ranked, 34-year-old Stepanek beat the 23-year-old Lajovic, world number 117, 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 in under two hours, handing the Czechs an overall 3-2 win.
On the hardcourt of the Belgrade Arena, the Czech Republic, playing the third Davis Cup final in five years, scored a ninth straight victory in Davis Cup ties.
“I was under the biggest pressure that can be,” said a jubilant Stepanek. “We are one of only five teams that have defended the cup.”
His counterpart Bogdan Obradovic admitted that his emotions were “mixed” as 2010 champions Serbia “tried to do our best” despite being weakened considerably.
Lajovic replaced 36th-ranked Janko Tipsarevic, out with a heel injury, and Serbia also missed 76th-ranked Viktor Troicki over a doping ban.
Lajovic, who has lost all four ATP-level matches he has played this year, started the decisive rubber in high spirits, breaking Stepanek’s very first serve.
But his enthusiasm was short-lived as the Czech veteran, betting on patience and changing the rhythm of his play at will, broke Lajovic’s next two serves to win the set.
Clad in his lucky blue t-shirt emblazoned with a lion design – which Andy Murray’s mother Judy described as “staggeringly bad” on Saturday -Stepanek raced to take the next two sets in style.-Sport24.
Online Reporter