Djokovic to face Shapovalov in final after Nadal withdraws

PARIS: Novak Djokovic beat Grigor Dimitrov to set up a Paris Masters final against Canadian youngster Denis Shapovalov, as Rafael Nadal withdrew from the tournament with an abdominal injury.

Top seed Djokovic saw off Dimitrov 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in the last four before Nadal, his rival for the yearend world No. 1 spot, pulled out, saying he felt the problem in practice before medical tests confirmed a muscle strain.

“Sorry to be in that position, but that happens sometimes, and that’s it,” said the 33-year-old Nadal, who will usurp Djokovic at the top of the rankings next week.

“It’s a super sad moment for me because I have been enjoying a lot during the whole tournament.”

The 19-time Grand Slam champion’s withdrawal was announced to the crowd just minutes before he was due on court to take on Shapovalov in the semi-finals.

Nadal has never won the Paris Masters title and also pulled out on his last appearance in 2017 before the quarter-finals.

He also admitted that his fitness for the ATP Tour Finals in London, which start on Nov 10, is in doubt.

“I will do all I can do and all what’s possible to recover for it,” he said.

“But as you can expect, today I can’t answer this question.”

Djokovic now has the chance to boost his hopes of equalling Pete Sampras’ record of finishing six years as the world number one, while the Serbian would also move within one of Nadal on the alltime list with a 34th Masters title if he beats Shapovalov.