Federer wins 4th Masters Cup in 5 years

Roger Federer was asked what advice he would offer a player getting ready to face him. "Don't even try, pal," the top-ranked Swiss star said. "You're probably not going to win."

While Federer was quick to say he was joking, it is pretty accurate right now.

Federer won his fourth Masters Cup title in five years Sunday, overwhelming No. 6 David Ferrer 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. In dominating a fourth consecutive top-five opponent, he showed that the gap between him and the rest of the men's field is as big as ever.

Against Ferrer, known as one of the quickest and best defensive players, Federer was even quicker in tracking down shots that would have been winners against almost anyone else, never giving up on a point, and mixing in good offense, too.

The scene was similar in Federer's semifinal against second-ranked Rafael Nadal, his defensive-minded rival who succumbed in just 59 minutes. And hard-serving No. 5 Andy Roddick could only watch in frustration as Federer landed 83 percent of his own first serves and yielded just two games in two sets.

"He's playing very, very well," Ferrer said in a bit of an understatement. "He has no weak point."

That is indeed what has kept Federer at the top for the fourth straight year. And there's no sign he's slowing down as he prepares to resume his pursuit of Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slams — he currently has 12 — at the Australian Open in January. He'll face Sampras this week at an exhibition in Malaysia.

"It was a nice victory, especially proving it, to myself and the world, that I can do it over and over again," Federer said. "This is the year-end tournament that only the best can make it to.

Federer collected $1.2 million and a new car for his 53rd career title, his eighth this year. His season winnings topped $10 million, a record for the ATP Tour.

"I practiced hard to get (to) this level," he said. "So when it all comes together in a finals like today against Ferrer, it's fantastic."

Fantastic indeed. About the only thing that Federer did wrong was continue his poor judgment in challenging line calls.

The Spanish contingent in the chilly but packed 15,000-seat stadium included about two dozen boisterous fans dressed in the red-and-gold national colors. A trumpet player led chants to encourage Ferrer, but should have been playing "Taps" instead as Federer ran his record against the Spaniard to 8-0.

Ferrer was simply no match for Federer's blend of spins, power and volleying skills.

Swiss fans said it all with a banner reading, "Shhh! Quiet! Genius at work."

Ferrer admitted he was a bit nervous playing in his biggest final ever and first Masters Cup. Federer made sure he never got comfortable.

Federer faced a break point at 2-2, 30-40 in the first set, then ran off 18 of the next 19 points. The streak also started a stretch in which Federer won 30 of 33 service points through the end of the second set.

"I surprise myself at times," the 26-year-old Federer said. "I've always had a tendency to all of a sudden go in streaks. Once you get on a roll, it's so hard for the opponent to come back into it. I don't allow them. I can mix it up and change it up. This is my big strength. I hope I can keep that going for many more years to come, obviously."

Ferrer, constantly trying to pick on Federer's backhand, hit two amazing winners while serving at 3-3 in the second set. Federer still broke him. When he sent a backhand long on set point, Ferrer smashed his racket, nearly breaking it in two.

Ferrer got one last shot with three break points as Federer served at 1-1 in the third set, but couldn't convert. Federer then broke him the next game on a forehand passing shot on the run.

In the doubles final, top-seeded Mark Knowles of the Bahamas and Daniel Nestor of Canada beat Simon Aspelin of Sweden and Julian Knowle of Austria 6-2, 6-3. The world's top-ranked team of twins Bob and Mike Bryan pulled out of the tournament because of Mike Bryan's elbow injury. They hope to play when the U.S. faces Russia in the Davis Cup final at the end of the month.

The Masters Cup will again be played in Shanghai in 2008, but it will move to London in 2009 for four years and be renamed the ATP World Tour Finals.

Henin wins Sony Ericsson Championships

Justine Henin won the Sony Ericsson Championships on Sunday, rallying past Maria Sharapova 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in the longest three-set final in tournament history.

Henin won on her fifth match point, breaking Sharapova after the Russian hit a drop shot into the net. The match lasted a record 3 hours, 24 minutes.

Henin's post-Wimbledon unbeaten run is the longest since Steffi Graf won 38 straight after losing in the French Open final in 1989.

"What a way to finish the season," Henin said. "It's a dream today what happened."

Henin, who won her 25th straight match, saved five of Sharapova's six break chances in the final set — and 14 of 18 overall — to become the sixth player to defend the WTA's season-ending championship.

It was also her 10th title of 2007, making the 25-year-old Belgian the first player since Martina Hingis in 1997 to record double-digit victories in a season.

Henin ran into the crowd to hug her coach and family after winning her 38th career title.

"I just enjoy my tennis so much and I just wish I can keep playing like that for more years," she said.

Henin became the first player to win the French Open, U.S. Open and season-ending championships since Graf did it in 1996.

The $1 million prize money also means Henin surpassed Kim Clijsters to set a season-earnings mark of $5,367,086, the first woman to pass $5 million.

Sharapova came into the tournament after a nearly two-month layoff because of a shoulder injury.

"It's an honor to play against her," said Sharapova, who the championship on her debut in 2004. "I hope we can play a few more times. I hope I can get my revenge a few more times."

Sharapova won the first set after pouncing on Henin's awkward serve to break in the 12th game on her eighth set point. Henin hit four of her eight double-faults in the game.

"I was feeling frustrated at that time," Henin said.

Though Henin missed some easy points with shanks or mishits, she closed out the second set after converting double-break chance in the 10th game when Sharapova hit her backhand wide.

Sharapova, playing from the baseline most of the match, rallied in the final set after Henin broke in the third.

The sixth-ranked Russian — who used a nasal decongestant before the game — caught Henin on the run with a two-handed crosscourt pass before Henin pushed it long for a break of serve for 3-3.

Sharapova did not win another game.

"It's been a pretty rough year for me with all of these injuries, one after another," Sharapova said.

Henin, who beat fourth-ranked Ana Ivanovic in the semifinals, improved to 21-1 against top 10 players this year.

In the previous longest final in 2005, Amelie Mauresmo defeated Mary Pierce 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in 3:06.

The two-year stint in Madrid ends, and of the season-ending tournament moves to Doha, Qatar, through 2010.

Henin wins Sony Ericsson Championships

Justine Henin won the Sony Ericsson Championships on Sunday, rallying past Maria Sharapova 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in the longest three-set final in tournament history.

Henin won on her fifth match point, breaking Sharapova after the Russian hit a drop shot into the net. The match lasted a record 3 hours, 24 minutes.

Henin's post-Wimbledon unbeaten run is the longest since Steffi Graf won 38 straight after losing in the French Open final in 1989.

"What a way to finish the season," Henin said. "It's a dream today what happened."

Henin, who won her 25th straight match, saved five of Sharapova's six break chances in the final set — and 14 of 18 overall — to become the sixth player to defend the WTA's season-ending championship.

It was also her 10th title of 2007, making the 25-year-old Belgian the first player since Martina Hingis in 1997 to record double-digit victories in a season.

Henin ran into the crowd to hug her coach and family after winning her 38th career title.

"I just enjoy my tennis so much and I just wish I can keep playing like that for more years," she said.

Henin became the first player to win the French Open, U.S. Open and season-ending championships since Graf did it in 1996.

The $1 million prize money also means Henin surpassed Kim Clijsters to set a season-earnings mark of $5,367,086, the first woman to pass $5 million.

Sharapova came into the tournament after a nearly two-month layoff because of a shoulder injury.

"It's an honor to play against her," said Sharapova, who the championship on her debut in 2004. "I hope we can play a few more times. I hope I can get my revenge a few more times."

Sharapova won the first set after pouncing on Henin's awkward serve to break in the 12th game on her eighth set point. Henin hit four of her eight double-faults in the game.

"I was feeling frustrated at that time," Henin said.

Though Henin missed some easy points with shanks or mishits, she closed out the second set after converting double-break chance in the 10th game when Sharapova hit her backhand wide.

Sharapova, playing from the baseline most of the match, rallied in the final set after Henin broke in the third.

The sixth-ranked Russian — who used a nasal decongestant before the game — caught Henin on the run with a two-handed crosscourt pass before Henin pushed it long for a break of serve for 3-3.

Sharapova did not win another game.

"It's been a pretty rough year for me with all of these injuries, one after another," Sharapova said.

Henin, who beat fourth-ranked Ana Ivanovic in the semifinals, improved to 21-1 against top 10 players this year.

In the previous longest final in 2005, Amelie Mauresmo defeated Mary Pierce 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in 3:06.

The two-year stint in Madrid ends, and of the season-ending tournament moves to Doha, Qatar, through 2010.

Nalbandian beats Nadal at Paris Masters

David Nalbandian beat Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-0 Sunday to win the Paris Masters and clinch his second straight Masters title after winning in Madrid last month.

The Argentine player broke Nadal in the ninth game of the first set and three times in the second. He won the match with a forehand that bounced off the net and landed inside the line.

"All week I was playing great, and I don't know why the result was so easy," Nalbandian said. "After I broke him, I felt that I was playing better than him. I play more relaxed, start hitting winners almost from everywhere. That gave me confidence."

Nalbandian beat the world's two top players on his way to the title, having knocked out top-ranked Roger Federer in the third round. He also beat Nadal in straight sets in the Madrid quarterfinals.

"He played better than me," Nadal said. "You have to congratulate him. I could not play at my best."

Nadal struggled with his serve in the second set, which lasted only 27 minutes. The three-time French Open champion won only 17 percent of his second-serve points and had five winners to Nalbandian's 25.

The Spaniard had both knees taped during the match and had not played in a final since beating Stanislas Wawrinka to win the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany, on July 22.

It was Nadal's first defeat in 26 matches in Paris, where he is 21-0 at the French Open. He had also not lost a set 6-0 since losing the decider to Federer in the Hamburg Masters final on May 20.

Nalbandian becomes the first player since Marat Safin of Russia in 2004 to win Madrid and Paris back to back.

Before Madrid, Nalbandian had reached only one quarterfinal in 15 tournaments this season and said he was hampered by knee and back injuries for nearly six months.

"I was injured the first part of the year," Nalbandian said. "So it wasn't very easy for me to come back and play good tennis."

The win means Nalbandian is first alternate for the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, which features the top eight players in the ATP race. Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Roddick, David Ferrer, Fernando Gonzalez and Richard Gasquet will play in the Masters Cup, which starts Nov. 11.

Hingis retires after positive coke test

Martina Hingis revealed she tested positive for cocaine at Wimbledon, proclaimed her innocence and retired from tennis for a second time — all in one fell swoop. It was a swift and stunning end to a career highlighted by five Grand Slam singles titles and a rise to the top of the rankings at 16, the youngest No. 1 ever.

Her voice breaking, her eyes moist, Hingis read from a prepared statement Thursday at a news conference in Switzerland, then departed without taking questions.

"I find this accusation so horrendous, so monstrous," the 27-year-old Hingis' statement said, "that I have decided to confront it head-on by talking to the press."

What she decided not to do is fight the doping case, saying it could drag on for too long.

"I am frustrated and angry. I believe that I am absolutely, 100 percent innocent," read Hingis' statement, released by her management.

It concluded with the vow: "I have never taken drugs."

WTA Tour chief executive Larry Scott said he recently found out about Hingis' doping test from the player's representatives — word had not reached him through official channels because it's an ongoing case in which a hearing has yet to be held.

Scott expects the case to continue, even if Hingis is walking away from the sport she once ruled.

"Like a lot of Martina's fans and friends and colleagues, (I am) saddened," Scott said in a telephone interview. "She's a great legend, one of the most well-liked players on the tour. But at the same time, I'm ... also mindful that the player has to be given the presumption of innocence until the process plays out until the end."

Hingis tested positive June 29, the day she was upset in straight sets by Laura Granville of the United States in the third round at Wimbledon. That was her first tournament after missing 1 1/2 months with hip and back injuries.

"I just didn't want to miss Wimbledon," Hingis said at the time. "Probably at the end of the day, it wasn't, like, the smartest thing."

Although doping charges usually are announced by a sports league or event, athletes first are told if a sample tests positive. A second, backup sample then is tested. Mario Widmer, Hingis' manager, said she learned of the first positive test result in mid-September and the second two or three weeks later.

Hingis said she hired an attorney who found "various inconsistencies" with the urine sample from Wimbledon.

"He is also convinced that the doping officials mishandled the process and would not be able to prove that the urine that was tested for cocaine actually came from me," she said.

Tennis doping tests are handled by an independent agency, Sweden-based International Doping Tests & Management, Scott said.

Doping expert Dr. Gary Wadler said urine tests generally can detect cocaine up to five or six days after its use.

"They say that cocaine increases self-confidence and creates a type of euphoria. I don't know," Hingis said. "I only know that if I were to try to hit the ball while in any state of euphoria, it simply wouldn't work. I would think that it would be impossible for anyone to maintain the coordination required to play top class tennis while under the influence of drugs."

Wadler, who used to be the U.S. Open's head doctor, said that although cocaine is generally not thought of as a performance-enhancing drug, it theoretically could help.

"The acute effects of cocaine probably, overall, would impair and not enhance performance. But within a two-hour window, you may actually have some enhancement — overcoming fatigue, reaction time, and so on," said Wadler, an associate professor of medicine at New York University and a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Hingis said her family and management suggested she take a test that examines a person's hair to check for cocaine use and the result was negative, although she didn't say when or where she was tested. Wadler said hair tests usually are not used in sports because they don't necessarily show recent drug use.

In tennis, a first offense for cocaine draws a two-year suspension. Only one woman has been suspended by the WTA because of that drug: Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain in 2002.

Thursday's out-of-nowhere announcement is not the first time Hingis left tennis, although the circumstances were far different in 2002, when she quit because of a series of foot and leg injuries.

When she returned to the circuit full-time in 2006, Hingis reached two Grand Slam quarterfinals, won two smaller tournaments and finished the year ranked No. 7.

This season was more difficult, and she was ranked No. 19 this week.

At the height of her powers, Hingis was brilliant at controlling points and working every angle on a court. Nicknamed "The Swiss Miss," she became the youngest major champion of the 20th century when she won the 1997 Australian Open at 16, and later that year reached No. 1.

She went on to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open that season, too, coming within a loss in the French Open final of a calendar-year Grand Slam.

"My weapon on the tennis court is and always was one single thing: the game, the ingenuity on court," Hingis said. "And for this style of tennis, there is only one performance enhancer — the love of the game."