HEAD racquet rebel Djokovic makes Federer work hard in Basel

Defending champion Novak Djokovic (YouTek Speed MP) gained a valuable week of matches in his build-up for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and the Davis Cup final next month, with the HEAD racquet rebel putting up a fight before falling to Roger Federer in the final of the Davidoff Swiss Indoors in Basel.

The hometown crowd in the Swiss player's city was sprinkled with Djokovic supporters waving giant Serbian flags. While the moral support helped, it was not enough to put ATP No. 3 Djokovic through to victory, with Federer winning his fourth title at home 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

"I had a good week overall if a bit of a poor third set," said Djokovic, who is mentally preparing along with his Serbian teammates for the historic Davis Cup final in Belgrade against France beginning of December. “I was disappointed with that third set but it was otherwise a good week, I got to the final without losing a set. I'll just go to Paris - last event of the regular ATP season - and try to do as well as I can.”

Robin Soderling (YouTek Prestige MP) beat Frenchman Gael Monfils in a quarter-final at the ATP 500 tournament in Valencia before losing in the semis to eventual champion David Ferrer 3-6, 6-3, 3-6. Gilles Simon reached the semi-final as well - among others he defeated Nicolay Davydenko and Fernando Verdasco.

In the doubles competition, Andy Murray (YouTek Radical Pro) helped give his brother, Jamie Murray, the perfect wedding present Sunday as the brothers won their first ATP World Tour doubles title together with a 7-6(8), 5-7, 10-7 victory over Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi in the final of the Valencia Open 500.
The Scots who were a wild card entry this week were playing their first ATP World Tour doubles final together just over a week after Jamie married Colombian Alejandra Gutierrez in his hometown of Dunblane. It was Andy’s first ATP World Tour doubles title, while Jamie captured his fifth career title and first since February 2008 when he triumphed in Delray Beach with Max Mirnyi.