Djokovic beats Nadal to stay alive at ATP Finals

LONDON — Novak Djokovic kept alive his chances of reaching the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals, beating Rafael Nadal 7-6 (5), 6-3 Friday for the Spaniard's third straight loss.

Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro and Robin Soderling have clinched spots in the final four of the season-ending tournament.

Djokovic won for the second time in the round-robin phase. For the third-ranked Serb to advance, Soderling must beat Nikolay Davydenko in the late Group B match.

"If I don't (advance), it's absolutely deserved for Davydenko if he qualifies," Djokovic said. "He played really well. There's nothing to do there. I just have to wait and see."

Nadal leaves the tournament without having won a set. He is on a four-match losing streak after losing to Djokovic in this month's Paris Masters semifinals. If Djokovic advances, he can overtake Nadal for the No. 2 ranking by winning the tournament.

Nadal finished with nearly three times as many unforced errors as winners — 35 to 12. He needed treatment on his lower back at 2-1 in the second set and was broken in the next game.

The second-ranked Spaniard saved two match points in the final game before sending a backhand wide on the third.

Djokovic had even more errors — 37 — but hit 21 winners and made fewer mistakes than Nadal when it mattered.

Nadal had broken back twice in the first set to reach the tiebreaker, where he shanked a couple of forehands and fell behind 6-2. He saved three set points before sending a forehand wide on the fourth.

Nadal said he lacked the "necessary calm" at decisive moments.

"For example, the forehand in 6-5 of the tiebreak was an easy ball," he said. "And when you are playing good, that wouldn't be a problem, that ball. But, you know, I had the mistake, I lose the set, and with that set the match."

The Spaniard showed flashes of his speed, chasing down a number of Djokovic's drop shots at the net. But his efforts were usually in vain, as most of his returns merely resulted in easy volley winners for the Serb.

This is Nadal's worst streak since finishing 2003 with consecutive first-round losses in Basel, Madrid and Lyon and then starting 2004 with a loss to Thierry Ascione in Chennai, India.

The Spaniard, whose season has been interrupted by injuries, has won just one of his 10 matches against top-10 opponents since losing to top-ranked Roger Federer in the Madrid Masters final in May.

He said he lost some confidence after his injury layoffs, but pledged to be back to his normal self early next year.

Djokovic entered the tournament on a 10-match winning streak after taking back-to-back titles in Basel and Paris, but said his recent successes have taken a toll.

"I'm exhausted from the season," he said. "I think it's obvious on the court that I'm not moving, and I'm not that energetic as I was maybe in Paris or Basel."

In the other group, Federer and Del Potro reached the semifinals Thursday, while Andy Murray and Fernando Verdasco of Spain were eliminated. Verdasco, Nadal's teammate in next weekend's Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic, also lost all three of his round-robin matches.