PHOTO OP: Jelena in Shanghai stands, watches Nole win Masters Cup

Jelena Ristic was in the stands this weekend to watch boyfriend Novak Djokovic win his first Masters Cup title in Shanghai.

It seems they're still going strong even after all the rumors and speculation about Nole and his love life this year. Let's hope he keeps those to a minimum next season for her sake, though it doesn't do me any good.

What would I write about then? Oh well.



(images via Getty)

PHOTO OP: Nole dominates Kolya, ends season with maiden Masters Cup crown

Novak Djokovic's season came full circle when he the ended the season with his first Masters Cup in Shanghai defeating Nikolay Davydenko 6-1, 7-5.

The Serb opened the season by winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the Aussie Open, won at Indian Wells and Rome in the spring, and struggled in the fall before adding the year-end championship to his title haul this year.

Morevover, Nole now sits only 10 points from Roger Federer at No.2 in the ATP rankings but will have tons of points to defend when the 2009 season begins.

But until then, have a great off-season boys and we'll see you next year!

Here are some video highlights from the Masters Cup final:

(images via Getty)

Fed the generous tennis giant, offers foes tips on how to beat him

It seems Roger Federer only has himself to blame for recent losses to Andy Murray and today is no exception.

The defending champion, who's been dealing with a sore back and stomach illness, was sent packing from the Masters Cup today after being narrowly defeated 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 by the Brit baller, his second consecutive loss and fourth overall to Andy. It's also the first time since 2002 Fed has failed to reach the semifinals at the season-ending championship.

Momma Murray believes comments made by Fed back in March have been the catalyst for her son's more aggressive approach to the game.

After being defeated in Dubai by the 21-year old Fed told the press,

[Andy's] going to have to grind very hard for the next few years if he's going to keep playing this way. He stands way back. He tends to wait a lot for his opponent to make a mistake. Over a 15-year career, you want to look to win a point more often than wait for the other guy to miss.

Oh Fed - you probably don't want to give your opponents any more pointers on how to beat you especially after they just hit you with a loss using the game they already own. It sounds wacky and all but they might actually take your advice since you're a 13-time Grand Slammer and arguably the GOAT.

Not very smart, but your foes sure are thankful!

(image via Getty)

PHOTO OP: Nole and his multiple personalities take center stage in Shanghai

Novak Djokovic, who has already secured a spot in the semifinals, managed to showcase a number of his infamous personalities during the Serb's final round robin match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Masters Cup today.

Pissed-Off Nole, Skeptical Nole, Determined Nole, and just plain 'Over It' Nole all made appearances during his 1-6, 7-5, 1-6 loss, his third consecutive defeat to the Frenchie baller this fall.

Good thing the match didn't mean anything or else we might have seen No Class Nole rear his ugly head again.

PHEW.

(images via Getty)

A-Rod withdraws from Masters Cup with injury, discusses coaching status

Following Rafael Nadal's lead, Andy Roddick's season came to an abrupt end today due to an injury at the Masters Cup.

The American baller withdrew from his round robin match against Roger Federer after spraining his ankle during practice:

I came out here and tried to warm up 45 minutes or so ago, and it was pretty apparent that my movement was probably 30 percent or 40 percent.

Unfortunately that's just not good enough to get it done at a tournament like this. I didn't feel like I could go out and try to compete and win a tennis match. It's definitely a tough prospect trying to beat Roger with no serve and not being able to move much.

The risk/reward wasn't there. You're risking further injury where it might cut into preparation for next year.

A-Rod also discussed the prospects of a new coach after parting ways with brother John in the summer:

There's a short list. I didn't want to start going through the process of talking to people either over the phone or in person until my season was finished. That's something that I'd definitely like to get taken care of in the next couple weeks.

I'm really curious to know which potential coaches are on the list since he's been through a few already. I suppose we'll find out sooner than later.

Any guesses out there?

(image via Getty)

PHOTO OP: Gilles plays hard in win over Fed, adidas shorts tell the tale

Gilles Simon isn't hard up for wins over Roger Federer after earning his second win this year over the former No.1 (yes, "former" Rog) at the Masters Cup in Shanghai.

But based on this image, the Frenchie's hard up for something. What could it be? Maybe we should ask Mario Ancic. It could be something about those adidas shorts - they're like viagra for ballers or something.

My order's in.

(image via Getty)

Second place isn't a fun place for Fed, "I'm not world No. 2..." says Roger

Roger Federer has revealed he isn't enjoying playing second fiddle on the ATP Tour these days.

The Swiss maestro told the media at his pre-tourney presser in Shanghai this weekend,

When they (court announcers) say 'This is the world No. 2' it just doesn't sound right to me because either I'm No. 1 or I'm a grand slam champion.

I'm not world No. 2. I just don't like the ring of it when I'm introduced on court. It just sounds awkward to me because I've been up there for so, so long it just sounds unfamiliar. But, at the same time, it is a challenge to get back where I was and I think next year will be a good chance.

I will be doing everything, starting here.

Fed's Masters Cup campaign, however, was derailed today when he was stunned by streaking Frenchie Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Newsflash Fed: you ARE world No.2 and you haven't been playing like the top baller for a while now so put the sour grapes away. Seriously, just check the results of the guy right above you.

PS - thanks to DtL reader Risha for the tip!

(image via Getty)

PHOTO OP: Another 'one' in the books for Roger Federer

Roger Federer celebrated another year clinching the No. 1 ranking with a trophy presentation during this week's Masters Cup. He finished in the No. 1 position for the 4th straight year, joining fellow legends Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors, and John McEnroe as the only other players since 1973 to accomplish this feat.

PHOTO OP: The best and worst of the Masters Cup Player Portraits

Here's a look at this year's official Masters Cup Player Portrait. The Masters Cup site also gives us a glimpse at past Player Portraits. In our opinion, this year's image and concept is the best by far. The worst? The 2002 pageant moment . Check out Andre Agassi's expression - even he looks embarassed.


(image courtesy of Quentin Shih)

Terracotta army invades Masters Cup, first look at Warrior Federer

The ATP has commissioned life-size Terracotta Warrior statues to made of the top 8 players to reach the Masters Cup in Shanghai, China at the end of the (tennis) year.

French sculptor Laury Dizengremel is creating these statues in China and they will be unveiled as a group at an event for the Masters Cup, which begins November 11.

Some interesting background on the statues:

The Terracotta Warriors are symbolic of China’s history and internationally recognized around the world. The Terracotta Army were originally created to be buried with the Emperor of Qin in 210-209 BC and it is believed to have taken some 700,000 workers and craftsmen 38 years to complete. The Army was only rediscovered in 1974 and 8,099 figures have since been unearthed around the Emperor’s tomb. The site in China has become a major tourist attraction with nearly two million people visiting annually.

Here's a first look at Warrior Federer. How fun would it be to see the stylish Swiss compete in that outfit? Someone call Ralph Lauren, stat!

(image via AP Photo)