Novak Djokovic showed he remains the player to beat in 2012, routing David Ferrer 6-2, 6-1 Saturday to win the World Tennis Championship exhibition tournament. The top-ranked Djokovic also beat Gael Monfils and then routed Roger Federer en route to his first Abu Dhabi title. “It’s always great to win a title.

Marion Bartoli and Richard Gasquet beat Li Na and Wu Di 6-1, 6-1 in mixed doubles Saturday to give France a 2-1 victory over China in the opening match at the eight-country Hopman Cup. French Open champion Li had beaten Bartoli 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the first singles match at the Burswood Dome, and Gasquet tied it up topping Wu 6-1, 6-3.

U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur faces a difficult road in her first tournament of 2012, with Serena Williams, Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters and former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic on her side of the Brisbane International draw. Hometown favorite Stosur opens play Monday at Pat Rafter Arena against Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus.

Good evening! Welcome to our annual TW virtual holiday party. Let me take your coat.

I hope you had a happy Christmas and holiday season so far. We're in the home stretch now, with New Year's Eve fewer than 24 hours away. This is no season for the weak of heart, or stomach.

Oh, that? Haven't you ever smelled roasting chestnuts?

Jackie is in the kitchen, she's whipped up a special surprise and won't even tell me if it's a beverage or some sort of baked goods. But we have plenty of egg nog, with or without rum, pigs in a blanket, a yummy fruit cake, deviled eggs and so on. Deviled eggs are my favorite, and not just because they're the central theme of one of the greatest television commercials ever.

Let me run out to the mud room to get some more wood for the fire. Make yourself at home, you probably know most of the people who will be here tonight, but don't be bashful – introduce yourself to anyone whom you may not recognize. Oh, yes. The mistletoe is above the door leading from the living room to the hall. 

– Pete

Andy has always been photogenic on court, but in 2011 Ron Angle captured an enigmatic moment in the Final of Memphis.

On match point, against Milos Raonic, Andy dramatically dived across court to hit the winner. The moment, caught on camera by Ron, is featured in the ATP’s 2011 Photos of the Year. Click the link below to see Ron’s photo and many others from the tour.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Media/Photo-Landing.aspx?q=2011%20Photos%20of%20the%20Year%20Part%201

Australian Jarmila Gajdosova says that becoming steadier is the key to breaking into the Top 20 in 2012. Gajdosova is currently ranked No. 33 and will kick off her season at the Hopman Cup, partnering with Lleyton Hewitt. “There’s a lot to improve. I still make errors at certain times where a lot of the top girls don’t,” Gajdosova told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Everybody who watches me play knows I play an attacking game and a very aggressive game, so I’m going to make errors. But if you look at the ratio of my winners as well, it’s very high. I can make mistakes but still win in straight sets. I’m sure if I get rid of them on the big points, then definitely I can do some more damage.”

U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur says that her triumph in New York should aid her cause at the 2012 Australian Open. Stosur has never reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne but believes she can handle the pressure.

“It’s just one of those things where the more you experience it the better you get at dealing with it,” Stosur told reporters in Brisbane. “Each year it’s got a little bit bigger each time and I know this year will be more than any other. I’m looking forward to that and I know I’ve got the support of the nation behind me. I’d love to start the year well here in Australia. I’ve never really had a great summer here. Hopefully I can turn it all around in 2012… The biggest thing is knowing I’m capable of winning those tournaments that I always dreamed of winning. Once you do it once, it’s actually done and you can say, ‘I’ve done it’ rather than continually telling yourself, ‘I believe it may be possible.’”

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—Top-ranked Novak Djokovic swept aside Roger Federer 6-2, 6-1 Friday and will play David Ferrer in the final of the World Tennis Championship exhibition.
 
The fifth-ranked Ferrer defeated second-ranked Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2 in the other semifinal. Nadal, who won the tournament the past two years, was nursing a sore shoulder and never seriously challenged his fellow Spaniard.
 
Nadal said his shoulder “felt OK, not perfect” since injuring it in November, but he still planned to play at the season-opening ATP tournament in Doha next week. Nadal announced Thursday that after the Australian Open, he’ll rest his shoulder for several weeks in February.
 
“I knew before coming here that I was not ready to win a match against David Ferrer, not to win a match against Djokovic or Federer,” Nadal said. “But I am ready to spend hours on court without risk of injury. That is the most important thing. I need this transition, hours of practice. If I am here, I will probably have a better feeling for Doha.”
 
Djokovic showed plenty of the dominant play that helped him win three Grand Slam titles and amass a 70-6 record last season.
 
The 24-year-old Serb twice broke No. 3 Federer in the first set and ran off nine games in a row in a one-sided affair that lasted only 44 minutes.

“It is the perfect start to season. I played great,” Djokovic said. “It’s something that makes me very happy.”
 
Djokovic said fans shouldn’t read too much into his win over Federer, against whom he had a 4-1 record in 2011, including victories at the Australian Open and U.S. Open.
 
Djokovic attributed his win in Abu Dhabi to having a match under his belt — a win over Gael Monfils on Thursday — and a quick start that gave him momentum and prompted Federer to make several unforced errors.
 
“He has won over 15 matches at the end of 2011, so I’m sure he won’t feel down after this loss here,” Djokovic said. “His main goal here is to get a couple of matches under his belt, as it is for all of us.”
 
Federer apologized to the crowd for disappointing them with his quick exit and promised to play better Saturday when faces Nadal for third place.
 
He said he felt “good overall” and “was moving well” but that he just was unable to chase down Djokovic’s groundstrokes that repeatedly caught the corners.
 
“It’s surprising when it goes quick and you are on the losing side. It’s not so comfortable sometimes,” Federer said.
 
He called Djokovic a good front runner.
 
“You try hard and try different things and it’s not working. He was playing really well,” Federer said. “Unfortunately, it was a short-lived match but we know he is a very good front runner. He took the lead in both sets quite early and that made it difficult because conditions were pretty quick and my game was not good enough today to make it more competitive.”
 
Ferrer took a 4-0 lead against Nadal in their first set, helped by his powerful forehand and some poor serving by his opponent. Nadal got back to 5-3 but Ferrer clinched the first set when Nadal returned a serve into the net.
 
Ferrer started fast again in the second set, taking a 4-0 lead and going on to win the match in 70 minutes when Nadal hit long.
 
The six-man tournament is a warm-up for the 2012 ATP season that begins next week. The winner receives $250,000.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic swept aside Roger Federer 6-2, 6-1 Friday and will play David Ferrer in the final of the World Tennis Championship exhibition. The fifth-ranked Ferrer defeated second-ranked Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2 in the other semifinal. Nadal, who won the tournament the past two years, was nursing a sore shoulder and never seriously challenged his fellow Spaniard.