Bucs hold India set for off Dolphins emotional finale for ‘Little Master’

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER17 13, 2013 18 2014 World Cup tickets sold out in 7 hours Page 19

LONDON: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic (left) poses with the Brad Drewett Trophy next to Spain’s Rafael Nadal (right) holding the runners-up shield during the presentation after the singles final on the eighth day of the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament. — AFP Djokovic dominates Nadal in Tour Finals

LONDON: The message from Novak Djokovic could not have ishing the season like a runaway steamroller since losing to think at the beginning he was playing much better than me, the Having lost the first set Nadal could ill afford handing Djokovic been more emphatic after the Serb retained his title at the ATP Nadal in the Flushing Meadows final. first three games no doubt,” the Spaniard said. “After that I didn’t a lead in the second but his forehand continued to misfire and the World Tour Finals with a crushing victory over Rafa Nadal on Apart from a few jaw-dropping rallies, however, the fireworks see the difference.” The statistics offered a clue, however. Serb took the invitation to seize complete control with another Monday. Nadal deservedly ends the year on top of the rankings were confined to those that lit up the court as Djokovic got his Djokovic hit 19 winners to Nadal’s nine, committed less errors break of serve. Djokovic looked to be running away with it and after an incredible comeback from injury but Djokovic delivered hands on the trophy named in honour of the late ATP executive and served much better than his opponent, who threw in two moved in for the kill but Nadal’s pride dug him out of a deep hole. an ominous show of force at the O2 Arena, running the man chairman Brad Drewett, who died this year. costly double faults at 3-4 in the opening set. The Spaniard saved match point at 5-3, and again when he who replaced him as world number one ragged. It was a one “Look, the year-end number one is deservedly in Nadal’s hands Djokovic dominated virtually from start to finish and despite chased down a drop shot at 5-4, but Djokovic merely sucked in hour, 36 minute masterclass in power and precision from because he had two grand slam wins, the best season out of all the 17,000 crowd willing Nadal to drag the match into a decider, some air, stared down the other end and blasted down his sixth Djokovic and if anything the 6-3 6-4 scoreline flattered Nadal, players, the most titles,” said Djokovic, who in capturing the title he was powerless to fight off an opponent who peppered the ace before clinching victory when Nadal sent a forehand wide. who spent most of the match dancing to his opponent’s tune. for a third time stretched his winning run to 22. “But next to the lines with relentless accuracy. The Serb, who ceded top spot to While there was disappointment for Nadal, compatriots After a week of sell-out crowds at the spectacular Thames-side run that I had in 2011, this is definitely the second best I’ve had,” Nadal in October, began the final as if he had a point to prove and Fernando Verdasco and David Marrero gave Spain a lift with victo- arena it was fitting that the world’s top two players should meet he told reporters. “The most positive thing that I can take from playing immaculate tennis he raced to a 3-0 lead as an edgy Nadal ry over Bob and Mike Bryan in the doubles final. for the 39th time in the most prolific rivalry in the modern era this two and a half months is the fact that I managed to regroup struggled for timing.Nadal finally began to get on the front foot Verdasco and Marrero, the sixth seeds, upset the favourites 7-5 and one that is eclipsing the great battles between Nadal and after a few big losses after Nadal, especially Roland Garros, U.S. and won the next three games as Djokovic’s level dipped briefly. 6-7(3) 10-7 as the title went to a Spanish pair for the second suc- Roger Federer. Both players had won all their round-robin Open final and Wimbledon final. “I’ve worked harder and played Djokovic edged back in front again and broke serve with one cessive year following the triumph of Marcel Granollers and Mark matches before cruising through Sunday’s semi-finals. Nadal better, become an even more skilful player. This is definitely the of the points of the tournament, a spellbinding rally in which he Lopez 12 months ago. was bidding to land the title for the first time to cap a year that best possible way that I can finish the season,” added Djokovic, sprinted across the baseline to produce an inch-perfect lob, The Californian Bryan twins were looking to win their 12th title saw him roar back to the top of the rankings with 10 titles, who next week will lead Serbia against the Czech Republic in the danced into the net and won a quickfire exchange of volleys of 2013 and surpass the 11 they won in 2007 and 2010, but were including the US Open and French Open, while Djokovic was fin- Davis Cup final. Nadal tried to put a brave face on his defeat. “I before raising his fists to the crowd. edged out in a match tiebreak. — Reuters Al-Ahly suspend Preview goal hero over Suarez not taking Jordan lightly in World Cup quest Islamist salute AMMAN: Uruguay and Liverpool star Luis Suarez has warned recent times with reports dwelling on the new Egyptian coach Jordan will be also missing midfielder and captain Amer his national side against complacency when they take on Hossam Hassan’s uneasy relationship with some players and Deeb, who has been surprisingly left out by the coach. Hassan CAIRO: Egypt’s Al-Ahly football club yesterday suspend- Jordan in their World Cup playoff in Amman today. last-minute changes to the line-up. The hosts have been hit by is calling for a gallant last-ditch effort from the players. ed forward Ahmed Abdel Zaher from next month’s FIFA Suarez-who has been in tremendous form for Liverpool suspensions with star goalkeeper Amer Shafie sitting out, “Jordan are the last Arab team representing Asia. It’s an Club World Cup for celebrating a goal with a salute in with eight Premier League goals already this season-flew on a while Mohamed Dmeiri and Anas Bani Yasin are on the injury Arab effort and not a Jordanian effort,” said Hassan, a former support of Islamists. private jet to Amman for the first leg match that has captured list. Shafie was the hero of Jordan’s match against Uzbekistan, striker who led Egypt in the 1990 World Cup. Australia, South Al-Ahly said they would also sell the 28-year-old at the the imagination of Jordanians hoping for an upset victory that which they edged 9-8 on penalties to make the playoff from Korea, Iran and Japan are the four teams from Asia who have end of the season and deprive him of prize money from could help their nation qualify for the World Cup finals for the Asia. qualified for Brazil 2014. — AFP first time in history. the Cairo club’s victory Sunday in the final of the African The Jordanians are also excited about the possibility of Champions League. being the only Arab side at next year’s tournament, with tradi- Abdel Zaher held up four fingers when he scored Al- tional regional superpowers Saudi Arabia and Iraq failing mis- Ahly’s second goal in the 4-0 win over South Africa’s erably in their qualifying campaigns. “Jordan will be very moti- Orlando Pirates. vated to play us, just as teams are when they meet us in the The four-finger salute has been adopted by support- World Cup and the Copa America,” said Suarez. ers of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who was over- “We have to be careful. We know Jordan have fast outfield thrown by the army on July 3. players and if you leave space, they could show their quality.” The player has apologised to fans for the political Suarez scored twice against Fulham on Saturday but is not tak- stunt, and said in a statement that he would be willing to ing his club form for granted. “After the game against Fulham, accept whatever punishment the club metes out. it will be a big change because when you play with the nation- Al-Ahly’s football committee had on Monday recom- al team it’s so different,” said Suarez, who along with Paris mended Abdel Zaher be suspended from the FIFA Club Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani forms a lethal forward com- World Cup in Morocco, following uproar in the media. bination for Uruguay. Egypt remains deeply polarised between Morsi’s sup- The South Americans are no strangers to the World Cup, porters and the military-installed government four having won the tournament twice, in 1930 and 1950. At the last event in South Africa in 2010, they finished a creditable months after his ouster. fourth after losing to the Netherlands 3-2 in the semifinals. Following news of Abdel Zaher’s suspension, several The Jordanians are well aware the odds are stacked heavily hundred supporters marched to his house in north Cairo against them, but that has not stopped them from getting in a show of solidarity, an AFP correspondent reported. into a celebratory mood, with even King Abdullah calling a live Abdel Zaher appeared from a window to wave at his sup- programme on Jordan TV to offer the team a financial incen- porters and again flash the salute. tive. “Whatever the result of this week’s match, I’m proud of the More than 1,000 people, mostly Islamists, have died in players and hope their efforts will pay off,” King Abdulla said clashes since Morsi’s overthrow, many of them killed on the daylong telethon that raised nearly two million when police dispersed a protest camp in Cairo’s Rabaa al- Jordanian dinars ($2.83 million, 2.11 million euros). Adawiya square. FIFA Vice-President Prince Ali bin al-Hussein also hoped the The square is named after an eighth century Muslim ‘Nashama’ will spare no effort in their two matches against holy woman, but Rabaa also means “fourth” in Arabic, Uruguay. “It is a source of pride for Jordanians that our team giving rise to the four-finger salute Abdel Zaher flashed has reached this far with the meagre resources we have,” he in the game. An Egyptian martial artist, Mohamed was quoted as saying in the Jordan Times newspaper. AMMAN: Jordanian players control balls during their soccer training session at Amman International Stadium. Uruguay Youssef, was banned from playing for two years after he The Jordan team has come in for some negative press in plays Jordan today in their World Cup playoff first leg soccer match. — AP wore a shirt bearing the symbol when he accepted his gold medal in a tournament in Russia last month. — AFP