Roger Federer wins third Madrid Masters crown, regains number two ranking

With the title win at Madrid Masters 2012, Swiss superstar Roger Federer regained the number two ranking. Novak Djokovic remains the top-ranked player with a thousand points to defend in this week’s Rome Masters. Here are the world’s top ten players as of May 14, 2012:

[1] Djokovic, Novak (SRB) – 11,200
[2] Federer, Roger (SUI) – 9,430
[3] Nadal, Rafael (ESP) – 9,105
[4] Murray, Andy (GBR) – 7,500
[5] Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) – 4,930
[6] Ferrer, David (ESP) – 4,460
[7] Berdych, Tomas (CZE) – 4,410
[8] Tipsarevic, Janko (SRB) – 3,090
[9] Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) – 2,970
[10] Isner, John (USA) – 2,725

For full rankings list, visit the official ATP World Tour site.

13-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams asserted herself as the heavy favorite to win the second Grand Slam of the season at Roland Garros with a dominating win against the top-ranked Victoria Azarenka at the Madrid Open on Sunday. With the title win, Williams moved up the rankings at number six and can very well add more points in the coming weeks as she has no significant ranking points to defend in the next two months.

Here are the world’s top ten players as of May 14, 2012:

[1] Azarenka, Victoria (BLR) – 9,020
[2] Sharapova, Maria (RUS) – 7,610
[3] Radwanska, Agnieszka (POL) – 7,080
[4] Kvitova, Petra (CZE) – 6,250
[5] Stosur, Samantha (AUS) – 5,435
[6] Williams, Serena (USA) – 5,300
[7] Bartoli, Marion (FRA) – 4,945
[8] Wozniacki, Caroline (DEN) – 4,936
[9] Li, Na (CHN) – 4,405
[10] Zvonareva, Vera (RUS) – 3,640

For full rankings list, visit the official WTA Tour site.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic said on Sunday he is looking forward to beginning his title defence at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and the challenges that are ahead in the next two months.

“I’m physically fit and ready for the challenges that will come,” said the Serbian at the Foro Italico. “I’ve had a fantastic time here, especially in 2011. I really feel that this is why I feel really close to the Italian people.”

Djokovic will play either Australian Bernard Tomic or a qualifier in the second round. In 2011, he beat five-time Rome titlist Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-4 at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.

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Serena Williams simply overpowered top-ranked Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-3 on Sunday to win the Madrid Open title. The win assured the 13-time Grand Slam champion of clinching the no. 6 ranking when the world rankings get updated on Monday.

“This is really good. I have been working hard. I had some tough battles and really unfortunate circumstances so I really love this,” Williams said.

Williams served 14 aces in the match and with the win she’s increased her number of wins against Azarenka to seven. Azarenka’s only win against Williams was at the Miami 2009 final where the American was injured.

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The Roger Federer vs Tomas Berdych Madrid Masters 2012 title match was somewhat unexpected to most tennis fans. However, the early exits of defending champion Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have paved way to this surprising final match between Federer and Berdych.

Federer, the 2006 and 2009 champion, is gunning for his 74th career title and will have a great chance to overtake Nadal as world number two in Monday’s rankings should he clinch the crown. The Swiss star leads the head-to-head series against Berdych at 10-4.

Watch Madrid Masters 2012: Roger Federer vs Tomas Berdych Live Video Online Coverage

The Serena Williams vs Victoria Azarenka match-up has been a long anticipated event of 2012 season ever since Azarenka clinched the world number one ranking and won four tournaments including the 2012 Australian Open. This is now made possible at the Mutua Madrid Open 2012 final with both players beating their formidable semifinal opponents.

Azarenka beats fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska for the sixth time this season while Williams ended the fairy-tale run of qualifier Lucie Hradecka to continue her unbeaten claycourt streak of the season at 12-0.

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Roger Federer will play for the No. 2 South African Airways ATP Ranking in Sunday’s Mutua Madrid Open final after dismissing Janko Tipsarevic 6-2, 6-3 in the semi-finals on Saturday. Victory also saw the 30-year-old Swiss pass $70m in career prize money.

“I didn’t even know about the number two ranking so that’s new to me,” said Federer. “I’m focused on what I’m doing here this week, trying to play well and get far. I have been feeling better and better as the tournament went on. It’s tough conditions today. There was a lot of wind and so forth.”

The third-seeded Federer will face Tomas Berdych in the final and takes in a 10-4 career lead over the Czech, including victory in both their clay-court meetings. The Basel native is bidding to win a record-equalling 20th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown, matching the feat Rafael Nadal achieved with victory in Monte-Carlo last month.

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World No. 7 Tomas Berdych reached his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final on Saturday as he overcame Juan Martin del Potro 7-6(5), 7-6(6) in the semi-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open.

The Czech player rallied from a break down as del Potro squandered the chance to serve for the first set a 5-4, and clinched the opener in the subsequent tie-break. In a role reversal in the second set it was del Potro who recovered from a 1-3 deficit, but Berdych again held his nerve in the tie-break for victory in two hours and 18 minutes.

“I am definitely very happy with the game I played here since the beginning of the week,” said Berdych. “It doesn’t matter that much if you drop a set or not, it’s just how it is. Sometimes you can fight through the whole tournament and then get to the final as well.

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Andy Murray is in Rome preparing for the next clay court event, hoping to prove that he has fully recovered from a back injury and is ready for a return to live tennis action.

The British number one was forced to withdraw from the Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid due to his latest injury problem.
It was originally feared, following his no-show in Spain, that he may be a doubt for this month’s French Open, but Murray looks on course for a swift return to action.

The world number four revealed that his absence in Madrid was down to “doctor’s advice” and that the rest prescribed was a “big disappointment” to him.

But Murray is already in Italy looking forward to the next Masters 1000 tournament, when most of the world’s top players will gather in Rome.

The 24-year-old reached the semi finals of the event last year, before losing to eventual winner Novak Djokovic in the last four, and there were several tantalising tennis betting offers available ahead of that match.

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