Nadal, Djokovic Open Tennis Masters Cup PlayPosted on November 11, 2007 All four members of the Gold Group will take the court on Sunday, which is Day One of this year’s Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. Three of those four players - Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer and Richard Gasquet, will be making their debuts at the circuit finale, while Rafael Nadal will play here for the second time, having reached the semis last year before falling to World No.1 and eventual champion Roger Federer. This is actually the third time Nadal has qualified for this event, having made the cut in 2005 but withdrawing that year due to a left foot injury. In the first match of the day, Nadal will try to extend his perfect head-to-head run against Gasquet, having won all three of their previous meetings on the ATP circuit. However, all three of those have come on clay - this will be the pair’s first career ATP meeting on hardcourts. Tennis Masters Cup debutants Djokovic and Ferrer will take the court next, resuming a rivalry that has seen the Serb win both of their hardcourt meetings and the Spaniard win both of their clay court meetings. In their most recent encounter, Djokovic won in straight sets in the US Open semifinals. The four teams in the Gold Group of the doubles event will also take the court on Sunday, with the pairs of Martin Damm and Leander Paes and Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi going to battle while Paul Hanley and Kevin Ullyett take on Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram. (ATP Digital Services) |
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