World number two Rafael Nadal lost 6-1 7-6 to Russian Nikolay Davydenko on Wednesday to become the first player to exit the ATP World Tour Finals. After losing both his Group B clashes in straight sets,the Spaniard has no chance of progressing any further in the elite eight-man event,even if he beats Novak Djokovic in his final round-robin match on Friday. Andy Murray,though,faces an anxious few hours to see if he has sealed a place in the semi-finals after overcoming Fernando Verdasco 6-4 6-7 7-6 in his final round-robin match on Thursday. The Briton would have secured a spot in the last four if he had beaten Verdasco in straight sets but must now await the result of Thursdays second match between world No 1 Roger Federer and US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro. Nadal,though looked a shadow of the man who was rated as the worlds best player until four months ago and spent more time shaking his head in frustration than producing winners during a lopsided first set. Davydenko leaped into a 4-2 lead in the second set,and despite a spirited fightback from the Spaniard,the world number six secured the win with a blazing forehand winner. Run drying up It seems hard to believe that only six months ago Andre Agassi was predicting Nadal would complete a calendar Grand Slam in 2009. But instead of emulating the feat last achieved by Australias Rod Laver 40 years ago,his winning run instantly dried up and he failed to win a title since May. Nadal barely looked like a man capable of climbing to the summit of his sport in his match against Davydenko and he said reclaiming the world No 1 ranking had not been his top priority this week. I didnt come here to be number one. It wasnt my goal because Im not playing well enough to be number one right now, he said. Im working hard to get my confidence back. Lack of confidence is what Nadal has struggled with ever since his four-year reign at the French Open was abruptly ended by Robin Soderling at the French Open. He then missed the defence of his Wimbledon title as he tried to overcome a bout of tendinitis and returned to the tour in August,though has failed to dominate as he once did. Nadal has no intentions of putting his feet up during the off-season. Ive had enough breaks this year. Too much,in my opinion, he smiled about his eight-week absence. Im ready to practise hard. I have motivation to play my best tennis. I dont know how far I am from my best. The important thing is when this change happens,Ill be ready for it. (Reuters) Bhupathi in semi-finals Already assured of a place in the semi-finals,Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles finished their group engagements with a straight-set defeat to defending champions Danie Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic. The third seeds lost their last group B match 6-4 7-6 (9).
