Novak Djokovic swept past Rafael Nadal in straight sets in Monte Carlo.

Novak Djokovic has sat atop the ATP for the better part of the last year and a half and Pete Sampras believes he could stay there for the next five years.

“I do [think Djokovic can remain No. 1 for years]. I was thinking about that when he won Monte Carlo,” Sampras told TENNIS.com in a conference call with the media to promote his doubles partnership with John McEnroe in an exhibition match against Tommy Haas and Ivan Lendl at the second annual Greenbrier Champions Tennis Classic, September 21-22. “He could stay No. 1 for quite a while, five or six years in a row. Realistically, if he stays healthy, he could very well do it.”

Sampras’ comments seem to echo the general sentiment around the tennis world after Djokovic emphatically ended Rafael Nadal’s 46-match winning streak in Monte Carlo last weekend. Djokovic defeated the Spaniard 6-2, 7-6 (1) to win his eighth different ATP Masters 1000 title (Djokovic only needs Cincinnati to complete the set). The loss was Nadal’s first at the tournament since 2003 and ended his historic quest for a ninth straight Monte Carlo title.

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Tommy Haas took advantage of cold temperatures and a renewed confidence to defeat Novak Djokovic in straight sets. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Tommy Haas pulled off the upset of the 2013 season on Tuesday night, ousting two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-4 in the fourth round of the Sony Open.

Just a week shy of his 35th birthday, Haas notched his second career win over a No. 1 player and became the oldest man to defeat a top-ranked player in 30 years. It was the earliest loss for Djokovic at an outdoor hard-court tournament since Olivier Rochus beat him in the first round of Miami in 2010.

Here are three thoughts on Haas’ victory:

• Haas used the cold conditions to his advantage: When umpire Mohamed Lahyani comes out on court in a jacket and gloves and the entire Djokovic entourage is wearing puffy, insulated jackets, you know it’s cold. The chilly conditions played perfectly into Haas’ game plan as he used his backhand slice with tremendous effectiveness and kept Djokovic off balance all night. The conditions meant the balls stayed lower, and with Haas’ ability to hit his beautiful one-handed backhand flat down the line, Djokovic was left digging balls out of the court or trying to redirect his pace. The first set was vintage Haas, who hadn’t played a match this well in years.

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Rafeal Nadal is in the finals of the BNP Paribas Open despite some hesitancy heading into the week. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Rafael Nadal came into the BNP Paribas Open last week not knowing how his body would react in his first hard court tournament in almost a year. A week and a half on, he’s into his first hard court final since the 2012 Australian Open after continuing his fantastic form here with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Tomas Berdych. On Sunday he’ll meet the man who has upended the men’s draw in the span of 24 hours, Juan Martin del Potro. The big-hitting Argentine came back from a set down to beat Andy Murray in the quarterfinals and returned today to do the same against No. 1 Novak Djokovic, overcoming a 0-3 deficit in the third set to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Now fess up: Who saw this final coming?

Definitely not Nadal. He couldn’t stop smiling after making his first ATP Masters 1000 hard court final since Miami in 2011. ”The things seem always almost impossible until the things are done,” Nadal said after the match. The tournament has been a resounding success for him, especially after beating two Top 10 players in Roger Federer and Berdych in back-to-back matches on his least favorite surface. Nadal has a history of talking down his chances at tournaments but even he shrugged when asked whether he believed he could win the tournament. “I cannot still saying these kind of things after a lot of success that I had, but any opponent tomorrow will be a very difficult opponent,” Nadal said. ”Today I am just here, and for me is a present (gift) to be here.”

“I don’t have nothing to lose after seven months. I did much more than what I dreamed.”

While there is little to lose for Nadal there is much to gain. He’s going for his 600th career win on Sunday and, currently tied with Federer for the most ATP Masters 1000 titles at 21, a win would give him the most ATP Masters 1000 titles since 1990. A title would also boost him to No. 4 in the rankings on Monday ahead of David Ferrer.

But can he stop the buzzsaw that is Del Potro? The 2009 U.S. Open champion has had a solid but not spectacular start to 2013, with a surprising third round loss at the Australian Open and losses to Djokovic in Dubai and Gilles Simon in Marseille. He finds himself in his first BNP Paribas Open final on the strength of his forehand, backhand slice, and fight. He’s hitting that forehand as good as he was back in 2009 when he won his one and only Slam, but it’s his slice that has been causing opponents problems. Against Murray and Djokovic, Del Potro was able to use the shot effectively both as a defensive tactic and on offense, keeping the ball low to his opponents backhand until he could get a short ball to hit.

“I use it because my coach told me that, so thanks to him,” Del Potro said after he beat Murray.

“I don’t know if I’m going to use tomorrow against Rafa because he’s lefty and he move really, really fast in the baseline. But what I know about him is [I need to] play more aggressive than today, trying to make a few winners with my forehands, coming a lot to the net, and I need to serve well also.”

Del Potro hasn’t beaten Nadal since 2009 (the Spaniard leads their head-to-head 7-3) but his three wins did come on hard courts on the biggest of stages. During his stellar 2009 season, Del Potro reeled off three straight wins over Nadal in Miami, Montreal, and at the U.S. Open and who knows if that run would have continued if he hadn’t suffered a wrist injury that knocked him out of the game for much of 2010. He’s slowly worked his way back since then and much like Nadal’s knees questions continue to plague Del Potro as to the status of his wrist. “I’m okay. I’m getting closer to be 100%,” he said this week.

Recovery will be key for Del Potro’s chances in the final. He spent five hours and 22 minutes on court beating Murray and Djokovic, will be playing his third match in three days in near-100 degree heat, while Nadal only took three hours and seven minutes to get through Federer and Berdych and benefitted from a day off in between. Surprisingly, it is only Del Potro’s second ATP Masters 1000 final of his career. As for the game plan against Nadal, Del Potro could only offer a sheepish smile.

“Everything perfect.” Alrighty then. That sounds simple enough.

Prediction: Nadal in three sets. 

Novak Djokovic dispatched Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets Friday to advance to the BNP Paribas Open semifinals. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images )

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — The men’s semifinals are set for the BNP Paribas Open after Juan Martin del Potro upset No. 3 Andy Murray 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1 to earn a shot at Novak Djokovic. Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych will face off in the other semifinal, as Berdych looks to end an 11-match losing streak against the Spaniard.

Novak Djokovic vs. Juan Martin del Potro: Welcome back, DelPo! Del Potro has quietly made his way through the draw away from the crowds and cameras on the outer courts. The big Argentine played his best match of the tournament to score his first win over Murray on hard courts. Del Potro was 1-5 against Murray coming into that match and he’ll go into his semifinal against Djokovic with a similar head-to-head, with Djokovic leading 8-2.

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Novak Djokovic won’t have long to enjoy his Australian Open title as Davis Cup play begins Friday. (Dita Alangkara/AP)

Davis Cup

The first round of Davis Cup kicks off this weekend and, yes, the No. 1 player in the world and recently crowned Australian Open champion is in action. The draws take place Thursday and play begins Friday through the weekend. Here are the ties to watch:

• Spain vs. Canada (Vancouver, British Columbia): A depleted Spanish squad goes to Vancouver without five of its top six players, making this a winnable matchup for Milos Raonic and Co. Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Nicolas Almagro, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez are skipping the tie, which means Spain will be led by No. 32 Marcel Granollers and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in singles and Granollers and Marc Lopez in doubles. Those are two favorable singles matches for the 15th-ranked Raonic, especially on the quick indoor court in the Thunderbird Sports Arena, which means this could come down to the doubles. Expect the home crowd to get loud and rowdy. Tickets sold out in just 80 minutes.

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In peak form in Perth, Novak Djokovic also saved the day for IMG in Abu Dhabi.  (Paul Kane/Getty Images)

The Report Card hands out grades for the week in tennis. This week we look at the first exhibitions of the season and who aced the weekend. 

Novak Djokovic: A-plus. Djokovic successfully defended his title at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship by dropping a bagel on No. 5 David Ferrer and then beating Nicolas Almagro in the final. Sure, it was just an exhibition, but Djokovic looked phenomenal through those two matches, and he continued his form in Perth, beating Andreas Seppi in straight sets less than 24 hours after stepping off a plane from Abu Dhabi. We expect a bit of rust when these players take the court for their first matches of the season. Djokovic doesn’t look like he’s missed a step.

Rafael Nadal: F. The “F” is for the fact that we’re not going to see Nadal on court for a couple of months. But when it comes to decision-making, I’d give him an “A”. The story from the Nadal camp is that the stomach virus he picked up around December 20th kept him off court for 4-5 days, derailing his preparation for the season. His Uncle Toni said the inadequate preparation meant there was no way Nadal would be ready to play best of five matches under the searing Australian sun. The story makes sense to me, especially considering that Nadal has only been practicing since the end of November. Let’s not forget that this is the Slam that left Nadal and Djokovic doubled over after their six-hour final last year. Rafa has made it clear that he will come back when he’s ready to come back. Good on him for sticking to that.

Bernard Tomic: A. Tomic spent the last few months as the punchline to any joke that involved tanks, hot tubs, and sports cars. So with all eyes on him as the 2013 seasons begins, he put on an impressive display of aggressive tennis against Tommy Haas over the weekend at the Hopman Cup. Tomic won the match 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-5, coming back from 1-6 down in the first set tiebreaker and battling back again from 3-5 down in the final set. Tanking? That’s so last season.

Caroline Wozniacki: D. I really thought she’d turn the page as the new season began, but in her first match against No. 103-ranked Ksenia Pervak in Brisbane, Wozniacki was passive when the match got tight and was outdone by an opponent who took her chances and went for her shots. Wozniacki let a break lead slip away in the third set but did well to break Pervak when she served for the match and eventually force a tiebreak. But when Wozniacki chose to push, Pervak chose to punish. The 21-year-old stepped up and cracked winners from both sides to seal the match. The last time Wozniacki lost to a player ranked outside the Top 100 was in 2009. An ominous start to the season for her.

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Novak Djokovic improved to 4-3 this year against Andy Murray. (Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images)

LONDON — The slimmest of margins have decided most of this year’s matches between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. And you can add another one to the list after Wednesday’s clash at the ATP World Tour Finals.

Djokovic rallied to defeat Murray 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the second round of pool play at the eight-player, season-ending championships. The Serb improved to 2-0 and closed in on a semifinal berth, while the Scot fell to 1-1 with one match remaining in Group A.

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Andy Murray ended Britain’s 76-year drought without a men’s singles Grand Slam title. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Andy Murray became the first British male to win a Grand Slam title in 76 years on Monday, defeating defending U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic 7-6(10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 in a four-hour and 54-minute battle of wills and wind.

Here’s what Murray and Djokovic had to say after the match.

“I had a great opponent today. He deserved to win this Grand Slam more than anybody, I’m sure, because over the years he’s been a top player. He’s been so close; lost four finals. Now he has won it, so I would like to congratulate him. Definitely happy that he won it.”

“It’s a Grand Slam final and you want to win. There is no question about it. We both wanted this trophy. We were very hungry for it.
You know, if I won that first set and had some chances maybe the match would go a different way. But look, you know, there is no reason to go back and say, What if? What if? He’s a Grand Slam winner and he deserves to be there.”

– Djokovic, gracious in defeat and genuinely happy for his good friend.

“I was still doubting myself right up to a few minutes before you go on to play the match. You’re thinking, you know, ‘Are you going to be able to do this? This is going to be tough.’ The match against him always is going to hurt, you know, as well. Physically it’s challenging.”

“Yeah, it’s something I have never done before. I have been in this position many times and not managed to get through. So there is a lot of things you’re thinking about before you go out on the court.”

– Murray, on the intimidation of playing against of the toughest, fittest players in the world.

“It was great two weeks for me overall. I played really good tennis when I needed to. Today it was just not meant to be. You know, we played almost five hours. A lot of running, a lot of rallies. I think that says enough about the effort that we both put, you know, physical, mental effort. This time I didn’t win the match, and that’s sport.”

– Djokovic reflecting on his two weeks in New York where he made his third Slam final of the year.

“I proved that, you know, I can win the Grand Slams. I proved that I can last four and a half hours and come out on top against, you know, one of the strongest guys physically that tennis had probably seen especially on this surface.”

– Murray, on proving to himself that he belongs among the true elite of the game.

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Tomas Berdych is looking to continue the magic he showed against Roger Federer. (Icon SMI)

Neither Roger Federer nor Rafael Nadal will be playing in a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time since 2004. That’s a streak of 33 tournaments, yet another incredible stat showing their sustained dominance. But 2012 has been a year of a smidgen more parity among the men, led by the likes of Andy Murray — the man on the verge — and a series of vanquishers ranging from Tomas Berdych to David Ferrer. Yet for this U.S. Open, they still fall in line behind defending champion Novak Djokovic, who crept through the draw with nary a peep only to remind everyone on Thursday night against Juan Martin del Potro that he is the best hard-court player in the world.

Here’s a breakdown of Saturday’s men’s semifinals.

Andy Murray vs. Tomas Berdych: The punch line after Berdych’s quarterfinal upset of Federer was that somewhere in Manhattan Murray must have been banging his head against the wall. Murray actually leads the head-to-head against the world No. 1 and just beat him in a best-of-five match for the Olympic gold medal. But Murray is 2-4 against Berdych, who won their only previous Slam meeting, at the 2010 French Open. The big-hitting Czech, of course, has the game to beat anyone when he’s playing well. He’s defeated three of the top four players at a major, and he’s riding a high after knocking Federer out of a Slam for the second time in his career.

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