NADAL WINS OVER DJOKOVIC 6-4 6-4 . . . HIP, HIP HOORAY!!

Growing up as a coach's daughter, I have left-over effects from watching sport and wanting a particular player or team to win. I get very entwined. The emotional roller coaster as a spectator cannot compare with a sport that is a single player v another single player such as in tennis. It must be such a mind game. I was only watching Rafa play Djokovic and I noticed I was deliberately having mind games going on during the match. What must it be like for the person actually with every action on the line?

Fantastic!
I love this player!
Rafa is a champion
that makes sport more than a game.

Rafa has a great chance
in the round robin Shanghai tournament!! Depending on some uncontrollable variables, he may be in the semi-finals.


We will have to wait and see how the other other players' matches go.


The stadium that they are playing in this week:

Brutal Nadal powers past Djokovic

Nadal is still not guaranteed a semi-final spot in Shanghai

Rafael Nadal boosted his hopes of reaching the Masters Cup semi-finals with a 6-4 6-4 win over Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic put up a much better fight than in his opening two defeats but the relentless Spaniard was too strong.

Nadal broke once to take the first set and then again at 1-1 in the second to take control.

The world number two must await the result of the last Gold Group match between Richard Gasquet and David Ferrer to see if he will progress.

If Gasquet wins that match by two sets to one, it will leave the Frenchman level with Nadal and Ferrer on points as well as sets won and lost.

GOLD GROUP STANDINGS Ferrer P2 W2 L0 F4 A1 Pts 2 Nadal P3 W2 L1 F5 A3 Pts 2 Gasquet P2 W1 L1 F3 A2 Pts 1 Djokovic P3 W0 L3 F0 A6 Pts 0

The two semi-finalists would then be decided by games won and lost.

Any other result would see Nadal go through.

Djokovic is the only player definitely out of contention but despite losing all three group matches, he leaves Shanghai with his pride restored.

The 20-year-old put his lacklustre displays in his opening two matches down to mental and physical exhaustion after a breakthrough season, but he seemed determined to go down fighting.

At 3-4 in the second set, Djokovic threw everything at Nadal, earning two break points with some dazzling shot-making.

606: DEBATE Who will progress from the Gold Group in Shanghai?

But Nadal, who lost in three sets to fellow Spaniard Ferrer in his last match, eventually ground down his opponent and Djokovic was unable to muster a recovery.

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ATP Masters Cup, Shanghai, 11-18 November:

Red Group:
Roger Federer (Swi)
Andy Roddick (US)
Nikolay Davydenko (Rus)
Fernando Gonzalez (Chi)

Gold Group:
Rafael Nadal (Spa)
Novak Djokovic (Ser)
David Ferrer (Spa)
Richard Gasquet (Fra)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/7096119.stm

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UN warning over Darfur mission
The joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission to Darfur may fail unless countries can provide helicopters and lorries, a top UN official says. For the full article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7095732.stm

Websites to learn what to do to be proactive in ending genocide:
http://www.dreamfordarfur.org
http://www.savedarfur.org
http://www.enoughproject.org