Tennis Capsules: Nadal: In ‘perfect shape' going into ATP finals

LONDON — All the involuntary rest because of injuries gives Rafael Nadal a good feeling heading into the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals.

When most players are nursing weary bodies after a long season, Nadal says things couldn’t be better.

"I’m in perfect shape, both mentally and physically," Nadal said Friday. "I’ve had the best end of the season in my life."

However, freshness comes at a steep cost. Knee tendinitis prevented him from defending his Wimbledon title and an abdominal injury forced another layoff after the U.S. Open.

Now the second-ranked Spaniard says he has returned to top form after reaching the Shanghai Masters final last month and the Paris Masters semifinals last week.

"I am close to my absolute best. I am playing well," Nadal said. "And this situation, getting to play against the best players in the world, is perfect for me."

The ATP World Tour Finals, the latest incarnation of the nearly 40-year-old elite season-ending tournament, features eight of the top players in the world, with a round-robin before the semifinals and final.

Nadal’s first match will be against rival Robin Soderling on Monday, giving him a chance to avenge his surprising fourth-round loss at the French Open against the Swede. Soderling qualified for the event as an alternate after Andy Roddick pulled out with a left knee injury.

Nadal said he’s more worried about Novak Djokovic in his group than Soderling or even top-ranked Roger Federer. He insists the third-ranked Serb is playing the best tennis of his life.

Djokovic defeated Nadal in the Paris semifinals en route to his second straight title, after beating Federer in the Swiss Indoors final the previous week.

"If I play my best tennis, and he plays like he did (in Paris), it’s going to be almost impossible" to beat him, Nadal said.

Djokovic, the defending champion at Shanghai last year, said he’s got a lot more to play for than just the rich prize. An undefeated champion will take home $1.63 million, with $120,000 knocked off for each loss in the round robin.

"I rate the world tour finals, besides grand slams, as the biggest event in our sport," Djokovic said. "So being a title defender is a big responsibility."

Djokovic plays Nikolay Davydenko in the first round, while Federer’s group includes U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, Andy Murray and Fernando Verdasco.

Federer, who lost to Julien Benneteau of France in the second round in Paris last week, will play Verdasco on Sunday in his first match in London’s O2 Arena. Federer said he can’t take any match for granted.

"At the very last tournament of the season, we could be sent home packing with three defeats," Federer said. "But we can also go home having the best feeling in the world after beating all your closest rivals you’ve had through the year."

Federer will be protecting his No. 1 ranking. Nadal has a slim chance of taking the top spot if he wins the event and the Swiss star has a poor performance.

"I’m aware of it. I’d be lying if I say I’m just here to play well," Federer said. "Definitely, I’m here to win the tournament and try to stay No. 1 in the world."

Nadal tried to downplay his chances of returning to the top of the rankings.

"If I win the tournament, it doesn’t matter to me if I’m No. 10," he said. "The rest of the things, No. 1, No. 3, it doesn’t matter."

ATP says it can’t reopen Agassi drug case

LONDON — The ATP Tour will not reopen a doping case against Andre Agassi even though he admitted to lying about using crystal meth in 1997.

Agassi revealed in his recent autobiography that he failed a 1997 drug test, a result he says was thrown out after he lied by claiming he "unwittingly" took crystal meth.

However, ATP chairman Adam Helfant said on Friday that there was no way to sanction the American retroactively since he has retired from tennis.

"There has been a lot of speculation about whether the ATP would reopen the case, but we cannot do that because he’s no longer playing on the tour," Helfant said at the ATP World Tour Finals in London. "I asked an outside law firm to go through the records from 1997 so I had all the facts. Andre Agassi has admitted he failed a drugs test in 1997 and regrettably he then lied about it. Even more regrettably he got away with it."

He said the ATP’s decision not to reveal the positive test was in line with its policy not to comment on doping cases.

"If we had revealed that test it would have been in contravention of the rules at the time," he said.

Helfant said he had a "very frank conversation" with Agassi after the book came out, and that the ATP has responded to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s questions about the case.

"But what was said will remain between us and will not be made public," he said.

Del Potro to play at Queen’s Club tournament

LONDON — U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro will play at next year’s Queen’s Club tournament in an effort to improve his grasscourt game ahead of Wimbledon.

The fifth-ranked Argentine beat Roger Federer in the U.S. Open final but has never advanced past the second round in three appearances at Wimbledon.

Del Potro says "this is the perfect opportunity for me to improve my game on the surface. Many players have done well at Queen’s in the past and then gone on to win at Wimbledon. I hope that this can happen for me also."

John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Lleyton Hewitt and Rafael Nadal have all won the Wimbledon men’s singles title after victory at Queen’s.

The Wimbledon warmup event is scheduled for June 7-13.