Truth about Kosovo - "The infinite war"

Serbian sport highlights in 2009

Serbia wins two medals at shooting European Championships.

Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC, February 22, 2009 - Andrija Zlatic of Serbia won gold medal at the European Championships Air Weapons in Prague. Zlatic fired 684,6 points to win the first place in the men's 10m air pistol event. Serbian team consisting of Zlatic, Dimitrije Grgic and Damir Mikec took silver medal in the men's 10m air pistol.

Vlade Divac named as president of Serbia's Olympic committee.

Belgrade, February 24, 2009 - Former Serbian basketball star Vlade Divac was Tuesday named as the president of Serbia's Olympic committee. Divac was named president after his opponent, incumbent OC president Ivan Curkovic withdraw his candidacy. Divac won several World and European titles with Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro. He also had an prominent career spanning longer than 15 years in the US national basketball association (NBA).

Novak Djokovic wins Dubai Open.

Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, February 28, 2009 - World number three Novak Djokovic of Serbia has won the 12th title of his career and his first title of the season by beating David Ferrer of Spain 7-5, 6-3 in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Djokovic had pick up US$383,000 in prize money, as well as 500 ATP Tour points.

Sacramento Kings retire Divac's No. 21 jersey.

Sacramento, USA, April 1, 2009 - Vlade Divac's No. 21 jersey has been retired by the Sacramento Kings in honor of the Serbian center's six successful seasons with the club. He was the starting center on the Kings' back-to-back division champs and the 2002 Western Conference finalists. However, it was Divac the man rather than the basketball player that left a bigger impression on his teammates. He played 16 NBA seasons, including eight with the Los Angeles Lakers and two with the Charlotte Hornets, whose descendants in New Orleans faced the Kings on Tuesday night. Divac's jersey is the second retired this season by the Kings, who honored Chris Webber's No. 4 earlier in the season.

Jelena Jankovic wins in Andalucia tennis tournament.

Marbella, SPAIN, April 12, 2009 - World number four Jelena Jankovic claimed her first title of the season at the Andalucia Tennis Championships on Sunday. The Serbian second seed beat Spain's Carla Suarez 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the final match. Jankovic won the first set comfortably before Suarez used one of her five break points to take the second set. But the Spaniard appeared to run out of steam in the third as Jankovic raced to a 5-1 lead and her first title win since October.

Victor Kiplagat Kigen, Sylvester Kipyego win Belgrade Marathon.

Belgrade, April 18, 2009 - Victor Kiplagat Kigen of Kenya won the 22nd Belgrade Marathon on Saturday, ahead of countrymen Sylvester Kipyego and Julius Kiplagat Korir. Kigen finished in 2 hours, 13 minutes, 28 seconds, Kipyego was second in 2:14.25, while Korir was third with a time of 2:14.28. Anne Ajepkemboi Kosgei of Kenya won the women's race, finishing in 2:34.51. Rasa Drazdauskaite of Lithuania was second in 2:34.59 and Maria Ruiz of Spain took third, 2:49.32. Serbian long-distance runner Olivera Jevtic won the women's half-marathon race at 1:12.20, thus triumphing for the sixth time at the Belgrade marathon. About 20,000 participants took part in the five kilometers long "UNICEF Race of pleasure".

Partizan defend NLB League title.

Belgrade, April 18, 2009 - Novica Velickovic scored 17 points and grabbed 8 rebounds as Serbian champions Partizan Belgrade reached NLB League title for the third consecutive time by beating Cibona Zagreb 63-49 (17-9, 21-18, 9-16, 16-6).

Nenad Zimonjic and Daniel Nestor win in men's doubles at ATP tournament in Monte Carlo.

Monte Carlo, MONACO, April 19, 2009 - Rafael Nadal became the first player to win five straight Monte Carlo Masters titles by beating Serbia's Novak Djokovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 on Sunday. The top-ranked Spaniard, however, lost a set at the clay-court tournament for the first time since the 2006 final against Roger Federer. After losing the first set, the 3rd-ranked Djokovic broke twice for a 5-1 lead in the second set. However, the final set was not as exciting as Nadal returned to form and Djokovic seemed unfocused and powerless. Second seeds Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia and partner Daniel Nestor of Canada clinched their second ATP World Tour title of the 2009 season in the men's doubles with a 6-4, 6-1 win over top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan at the Monte Carlo Masters tournament.

Nenad Zimonjic and Daniel Nestor capture title in Barcelona.

Barcelona, SPAIN, April 26, 2009 - Serb Nenad Zimonjic and Canadian Daniel Nestor defeated Mark Knowles of the Bahamas and India's Mahesh Bhupathi 6-3, 7-6 (9) to win the Barcelona Open doubles title.

Junior team of FMP defends European champions title.

Berlin, GERMANY, May 3, 2009 - FMP Belgrade defeated Lithuania's Lietuvos Rytas 110-123 in the final match to defend the European junior champions' title in basketball.

Nenad Zimonjic, Daniel Nestor win Rome Masters.

Rome, ITALY, May 3, 2009 - Serb Nenad Zimonjic and doubles tennis partner Daniel Nestor of Canada defeated top-ranked Americans Bob and Mike Bryan 7-6, 6-3 at the Rome Masters in Italy.

Novak Djokovic wins Serbia Open in Belgrade.

Belgrade, May 10, 2009 - World number three Novak Djokovic of Serbia has won the 13th ATP title of his career by beating the unseeded Lucacs Kubot of Poland 6-3, 7-6 (0) in the final match of the inaugural Serbia Open tennis tournament, which was held from May 4 to 10 in Belgrade.

Nenad Zimonjic and Daniel Nestor capture doubles title at Madrid Open.

Madrid, May 17, 2009 - Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic and Canadian partner Nenad Zimonjic will head to the French Open as the top seeds after beating Swede Simon Aspelin and South African Wesley Moodie in the men's doubles final Sunday at the Madrid Open.

Serbia wins bronze medal in FINA World League.

Podgorica, MONTENEGRO, June 21, 2009 - Serbia won the bronze medal in the FINA Men’s Water Polo World League after defeating USA, 9-7 (2-2, 1-2, 4-2, 2-1), in the third place match.

Nenad Zimonjic, Daniel Nestor defend doubles title in Wimbledon.

London, ENGLAND, July 4, 2009 - Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia and Canada's Daniel Nestor won the Wimbledon men's doubles title for the second year in a row with a 7-6 (7), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-3 win over top-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States.

Serbia wins nine gold medals at 2009 Mediterranean Games.

Pescara, ITALY, July 5, 2009 - Serbia won 35 medals - 9 gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze - at the 16th Mediterranean Games which were held in Pescara, Italy.

Serbian athletes win 19 medals at Summer Universiade in Belgrade.

Belgrade, July 12, 2009 - Serbia won 19 medals - 5 gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze - at the 25th Summer Universiade in Belgrade.

Serbia takes silver at men's volleyball World League.

Belgrade, July 27, 2009 - Olympic runners-up Brazil beat Serbia 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 25-22, 23-25, 15-12) in a thrilling final match of the FIVB World League. Russia beat Cuba 3-0 (25-13, 26-24, 25-16) for the bronze medal.

Milorad Cavic win gold and silver, Nadja Higl takes gold at World swimming championships.

Rome, ITALY, July 27, 2009 - Serbia's Milorad Cavic won the gold medal in the 50-meter butterfly at the FINA World Championships in Rome. Rome, ITALY, August 1, 2009 - Milorad Cavic of Serbia won the silver medal in the men's 100 meter butterfly at the FINA World Championships in Rome. Rome, ITALY, July 31, 2009 - Serbia's Nadja Higl won the gold medal in the women's 200 meters breaststroke at the 13th FINA World Championships in Rome.

Serbia beats Spain to gain World water polo title.

Rome, ITALY, August 1, 2009 - Serbia beat Spain 7-6 on penalties after drawing 7-7 after extra time to win a men's waterpolo final at the FINA World Championships in Rome.

Serbia takes silver at Eurobasket.

Katowice, POLAND, September 20, 2009 - Serbia was defeated by Spain 63-85 (14-24, 15-28, 15-15, 19-18) in the final match of the men's European basketball championships in Poland.

Serbia beats Romania to qualify for FIFA World Cup.

Belgrade, October 10, 2009 - Milan Jovanovic scored twice as Serbia demolished Romania 5-0 on Saturday to qualify for the football 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Novak Djokovic, Nenad Zimonjic capture Basel crown.

Basel, SWITZERLAND, November 8, 2009 - Top-ranked Roger Federer lost his hometown tournament on Sunday, falling 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the Swiss Indoors final. Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic and his partner Daniel Nestor of Canada won their eighth tournament of 2009 on Sunday at the Swiss Indoors.

Djokovic, Zimonjic win Paris Masters.

Paris, FRANCE, November 15, 2009 - Third-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia has won his first Paris Masters title by defeating Gael Monfils of France 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (3). Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic and his partner Daniel Nestor of Canada won their ninth title of the season, defeating Spaniards Marcello Granollers and Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-4 at the Paris Masters.

Nadja Higl, Ivan Lendjer and Caba Siladji win medals at the European Short Course Swimming Championships.

Istanbul, TURKEY, December 11, 2009 - Serbia's Nadja Higl won silver medal in the women's 200m breaststroke at the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Higl set a new Serbian record with a time of 2:17:52. Ivan Lendjer finished third in the men's 100m butterfly in 49.79. Istanbul, TURKEY, December 12, 2009 - Serbian swimmer Caba Siladji won bronze medal in the men's 50m breaststroke, with a time of 26.31, at the European Short Course Championships in Istanbul.

Swiss arrest K. Albanian heroin traffickers

Source: B92
GENEVA -- Swiss police have cut a large heroin smuggling route, that saw 42 kilograms of the drug transferred from Kosovo to Switzerland in five months.

14 traffickers, including 13 ethnic Albanians and one Austrian citizen "of Kosovo origin" were arrested, along with a Spanish national, Switzerland's state broadcaster TSR is reporting today.

Police said that the heroin came from the town of Peć in western Kosovo and that it was sold in Lausanne, Zurich, and Neuchatel in Switzerland.

During each trip, the report said, the suspects smuggled in more than 12 kilograms of the drug, while one of them was in charge of collecting the money for the bosses of the operation, based in Kosovo.

The purity of the drug was 33 percent, the report said – "three times more than what addicts consume".

Annex to deal with Fiat signed

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Regional Development Mladjan Dinkic, Fiat Group Vice-President Alfredo Altavilla and Fiat Automobili Srbija CEO Giovanni De Filippis today signed an annex to the Agreement on Joint Investment between Serbia and Fiat, based on which Zastava will become part of the Fiat Group.Photo: Fonet

Following the signing Dinkic said he will issue the motion for the transfer of Zastava’s assets to the joint company Fiat Automobili Srbija.

The Minister announced that the transfer should be completed by December 29, by which time Fiat should also complete the transfer of a portion of its founding capital of around €100 million.

One of the novelties envisaged in the annex is the production of two completely new car models that will be exported to the European and US markets, Dinkic announced.

The production output will be 200,000 vehicles a year, which will bring in around €2 billion from export.

Altavilla noted that President Boris Tadic also played an important role in this matter.

Tadic gave us his support and I am truly grateful to him, Altavilla said and thanked the entire Serbian government as well, especially Deputy Prime Minister Dinkic, for their cooperation and engagement.

Altavilla announced that one half of Fiat’s founding capital of €200 million will be paid by the year’s end and the remaining €100 million during 2010.

Signing of SAA opened new phase of relations between Serbia, the EU

Minister of Trade and Services Slobodan Milosavljevic said today that the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU will bring more investment to Serbia, create new jobs, increase production and improve Serbia's market competitiveness.Speaking at a press conference, held on the occasion of the presentation of the "Information campaign on obligations and advantages of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and EU candidacy" project, Milosavljevic said that Serbia will have a free trade regime which will be impossible to suspend and it will have the opportunity to use funds from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).

The Minister said that, after 20 years, Serbian citizens can travel freely to EU countries, which is a big advantage for businessmen as well, because that saves them time and opens business possibilities.

According to him, the potentials of Serbia's economy exceed its market, and in many areas they even exceed those of the CEFTA region.

Presenting the brochures “Protecting the Competition”, “Product Safety” and “Consumer Protection”, he said that the relevant ministry and the author of the brochures, Professor Tanja Miscevic from the Faculty of Political Sciences, published the three brochures within the SAA context.

Milosavljevic explained that the goal of the brochures is to provide information to businessmen, scientist, experts and Serbian citizens about the progress made in the harmonisation of regulations with the EU.

Miscevic said that with the signing of the SAA a new stage in the relations between Serbia and the EU commenced, adding that one of Serbia’s key tasks will be to implement the regulations, and not just adopt them.

Once we are granted candidate status the European Commission will not only be our partner in the talks, but also a strict opponent, with whom we must fight to prove what we want to achieve with the agreement, she explained.

Miscevic recalled that other EU candidates also underwent the same procedure, adding that in Serbia’s case the European Commission will be increasing controls gradually, which will pose a great challenge to everyone in public administration.

Serbia chooses right moment to apply for EU candidate status

Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic said today in Rome that after making the decision to apply for candidate status, Serbia is aware of the fact that it has to work hard to ensure a consensus within the EU for every step that follows towards full membership.Bozidar Djelic, left, and Franco Frattini
Photo: Fonet

After a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, Djelic said that Serbia is ready to do its share of the work and that it showed this readiness by starting the unilateral implementation of the interim trade agreement with the EU.

He said that Serbia’s road to the EU will neither be quick nor easy but plans are being prepared ahead of time, adding that all ministries have been told to prepare a response to EU questionnaires regarding the integration process.

We have started preparing for that which will hopefully await us next year, said Djelic, stressing that Italy’s explicit support has given Serbia the strength and will to struggle on.

Frattini said that Serbia has chosen the right moment to apply for candidate status and after that it will be up to Serbia to work hard to achieve its ambitious goal of acquiring candidate status by the end of next year.

Serbia has made major progress and produced concrete results because of which our friends from the Netherlands allowed the implementation of the interim trade agreement. Now the future is in your hands. That what was conveyed to us by Serbian President Boris Tadic and Serbian officials is indeed a very ambitious plan, said the Italian Foreign Minister.

He said that he was always against sanctions against Serbia and in favour of a positive attitude, adding that it has been proven that this was the right approach.

Frattini said that after submitting the application for candidate status Serbia will have a lot of work to do to reassure the few EU countries who are still doubtful that Serbia deserves positive signals.

Djelic, who is also Minister of Science and Technology, signed with Frattini a memorandum concerning scientific cooperation between the two countries.

After his meeting with Frattini, Djelic travelled to Stockholm where he will join President Boris Tadic tomorrow who will submit Serbia’s application for EU candidacy.

Serbia, Kuwait boost bilateral relations

Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah today agreed that their countries should both continue and improve their cooperation.
Nasser al-Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah and Mirko Cvetkovic

Following the meeting with Al-Sabah Cvetkovic told the press that the door to prospective Kuwaiti investors are open in Serbia, adding that economic cooperation between the two countries is the best way to overcome the global economic crisis.

He stressed that the Serbian government greatly appreciates Kuwait’s principled stance on Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity regarding the issue of Kosovo-Metohija.

The Serbian Prime Minister recalled that upholding international law is the basis of this stance, a view shared by the Kuwaiti government.

Cvetkovic noted that Serbia and Kuwait have had satisfactory relations for quite some time, voicing his belief that talks in Belgrade will additionally improve these relations and help to strengthen the political dialogue and cooperation in the economic, financial, investment and cultural sectors, military industry and other spheres.

He said that the overall trade between the two countries, although very intensive in the past, stood at less than $500,000 in the first half of 2009, adding his hopes that it will increase in the future.

Al-Sabah, who is heading the Kuwaiti delegation on its official visit to Serbia, voiced his gratitude for Serbia’s support during the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait led by former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein.

You stood by our side in the international arena during those events, you were devoted to international law and we are deeply grateful for that, the Kuwaiti Prime Minister said.

He said that Serbia and Kuwait have close political, economic and cultural ties.

After the meeting, Serbian Culture Minister Nebojsa Bradic and Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad al-Salem al-Sabah signed a programme of cultural cooperation between Serbia and Kuwait.

An agreement on tourism cooperation was signed by Serbian Minister of Trade and Services Slobodan Milosavljevic and Kuwait's Commerce and Industry Minister Ahmad al-Haroun. Another agreement on economic and technical cooperation was signed by Serbian Minister of Labour and Social Policy Rasim Ljajic and Kuwaiti Finance Minister Mustafa al-Shamali.

A protocol concerning civil aviation was signed by Director General of the Civil Aviation Directorate Nebojsa Starcevic and Head of Kuwait’s Civil Aviation Favaz Abdul Aziz al-Farah.

The signing of these agreements was attended also by Serbian Defence Minister Dragan Sutanovac and Finance Minister Diana Dragutinovic, as well as members of the Kuwaiti delegation.

Djokovic, Zimonjic win Paris Masters

Paris, FRANCE, November 15, 2009 - Third-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia has won his first Paris Masters title by defeating Gael Monfils of France 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (3).Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning his final match against Gael Monfils Photo: AFP
At 6-2, 3-0 up Djokovic appeared to be cruising toward his first Paris Masters title, but the home favourite found his way back into the match.

The 22-year-old Serb again looked set for victory when he led 4-1 in the decider but again Monfils battled back to level at 4-4 and the final went all the way to a tie-break.

Djokovic led from the start in that, bagged an early mini-break and held on to clinch the title in two hours and 45 minutes when Monfils double faulted with the Serb 6-3 ahead.

Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic and his partner Daniel Nestor of Canada won their ninth title of the season, defeating Spaniards Marcello Granollers and Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-4 at the Paris Masters.

International bodies must react to registration of entry into Kosovo-Metohija

The Serbian Ministry for Kosovo-Metohija stated today that it has urgently contacted representatives of the international community, EU and the UN in Kosovo-Metohija, about the registration of entry into the southern province at some administrative line checkpoints.

According to the statement, they are aware of the situation and the Ministry has pointed to the fact that this is unacceptable and opposed to the decrees of the UN and Security Council Resolution 1244.

The Ministry has demanded from the representatives of the international community to react urgently to put a stop to such provocative actions and to ensure that similar occurrences do not take place in the future.

Such moves can only further complicate an already complex situation in Kosovo-Metohija and are a deliberate attempt to pressurize the Serbian community, particularly those living south of the Ibar, concludes the statement.

Tadić, Berlusconi open Serbia-Italy summit

Source: B92, FoNet, Tanjug





ROME -- Serbian PM Mirko Cvetković and his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi signed on Friday in Rome a Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership.

The signing ceremony was also attended by Serbian President Boris Tadić.

The declaration was signed as part of the Serbia-Italy summit attended by the prime ministers of the two states and the Serbian president, as well as nine Serbian cabinet minister and their Italian counterpart.

The document signed today envisages support for acceleration of Serbia's EU integration, privileged bilateral relations and exchange of experts in all sectors.

The first summit organized between the two countries started today with a meeting between Tadić and Berlusconi.

Three memorandums on cooperation with Italian regions, and a number of agreements covering energy, infrastructure, agriculture, culture, education, military cooperation, internal affairs and environment sectors, are also to be signed.

Earlier in the day, Tadić said he had received support from Italy for Greek PM Giorgios Papandreu's plan to have all the Western Balkan countries in EU in 2014.

"Serbia considers EU membership to be an irreplaceable strategic goal and we expect that the Greek plan and the plan of its prime minister, 'Agenda 2014', will be realized for the whole of the Balkans. We have gained Italy's support on this issue," stated Tadić.

"Italy supports Serbia's EU integration with all its might," said he.

Tadic congratulated Nadja Higl

Serbian President Boris Tadic congratulated Serbian swimmer Nadja Higl for her victory in 200m breaststroke in the finals of the World Cup in small pools in Stockholm. She won gold medal and set a new state record having swum the section in 2 minutes, 18 seconds and 54 hundredths.

European Parliament favours visa free regime for Serbia from Dec 19

European Parliament MPs today adopted the report proposing that EU interior ministers abolish visas for the citizens of Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia starting from December 19. The declaration from the report, which the Parliament’s rapporteur for visa liberalisation Tanya Fayon read before the voting, says that Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia have met all the conditions for visa abolishment, adding that the Parliament proposes they should be exempt from visa requirements as of December 19.

A total of 550 MPs voted in favour of the resolution proposal, 51 were against it and 37 abstained from voting.

The European Parliament resolution is consultative in nature and is in the form of a political recommendation, while the final decision on visa abolishment will be made by the EU Council of Ministers before November 30.

The declaration adds that other Western Balkan states should also be exempt from Schengen visa requirements, including Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania, as soon as they meet the conditions from the roadmap.

Deputy Prime Minister for EU integration Bozidar Djelic and European Commission Vice President Jacques Barrot also attended the voting, after which Djelic stated that the adoption of the European Parliament’s resolution on visa abolishment is an important day for Serbia’s EU integration process.

This shows that there are no more doubts about the Western Balkan’s European future, Djelic said noting that 86% of MPs voted in favour of the proposal, which is much more than expected.

We have been waiting more than 18 years for this day and the applause that followed came from all parties, the left and the right wing, the greens and the democrats, from people who might hold a different opinion about many issues, but this shows that the entire Europe endorses visa liberalisation for our country. This is a huge success for our citizens and I sincerely congratulate them on it, the Deputy Prime Minister concluded.

Djokovic rules Basel, Federer in misery

Author: Blic online | Foto: Reuter

Serbia’s top tennis player wins Swiss star’s hometown event

Novak Djokovic rules Basel. The Serbian tennis star played one of his best matches yesterday when he beat Roger Federer in the final of Basel, hometown of the Swiss tennis giant. In the hostile environment of the cram-packed St Jakob arena in Basel, Djokovic faced not only the world’s number one, but also Federer’s ardent supporters. The 6-4 4-6 6-2 win was fought out after 151 minutes of play, while the Serb crowned his performance with a terrific display in the third set.

The two have now met 14 times, while Federer leads 9-5 in head-to-head career wins over Djokovic. Nonetheless, the Serb is now 3-2 up in clashes with Federer in 2009. Basel has come as Djokovic’s fourth title of the season after the trophies from the events in Dubai, Belgrade and Beijing, and 15th career title. Djokovic was awarded with €291,700 and additional 500 ATP points for the win at Basel, and now trails Rafael Nadal in the ATP Race by only 455 points ahead of the Paris tournament, which all guarantees a thrilling closure to the season.
- “I wish to thank all of those who participated in the organization of this event. Also, thank you for the hospitality you have shown not only towards me, but also my team and family. The number of people who have supported me has made me feel at home. I will be here next year, no doubt,” Novak said upon being handed the Basel champion’s trophy.
Federer, who had been aiming to set a record with four consecutive wins at the event in his home country, had to settle for the runner-up place.
- “All credit to Novak on his win, I wish him all the best in the rest of the season. I really love to play here in Switzerland, especially at this event and I have to thank the fans for their exceptional support. Big thanks to all my townsmen and I promise to return next year,” said Federer.
Djokovic had known before the final the key to success in Basel was great serving. He was forced to get the best of his first shot in every serve game and press the Swiss as hard as he could. Djokovic excelled in the opening set and Federer was miles away from getting a break opportunity by the time it was 4-4 in the first set. Then the Serb played one of the best games in the match to break his opponent after converting the third opportunity to take the 5-4 lead.
Federer’s reputation precedes the great champion and the Swiss came out strong when it mattered. Novak knew he would have to be at his best in the following game as the two aces cancelled each other in a game which lasted over 20 minutes. Although Federer had five chances to rebreak and restore parity, Djokovic showed he had nerves of steel and converted the seventh set point to win the set 6-4.
Support for Federer increased in the St Jakob arena, but it was Djokovic who opened the second set on top. He instantly broke Federer, won the next game at his own serve and looked to be on his way of winning the final match. However, Federer proved his merit and found a way out of the grim situation. The current king of tennis went on a series of 3 games and the set was again in the balance. The Swiss kept his nerve in the deciding moments of the set and had two set points at Djokovic’s serve. He blew the first one but converted the second one to level the overall score after 93 minutes of play.
After winning the second set, Federer had the psychological edge over his opponent and was expected to go for a more offensive approach carried by the magnificent support from the home fans. Against all odds, Djokovic produced arguably his finest set of the year and swept past the Swiss in the decider. The Serb went 4-0 up and all Federer could do was to win a couple of his serve games.

Zimonjic, Nestor win doubles trophy
Serbian tennis player Nenad Zimonjic and Canada’s Daniel Nestor have won the doubles event at Basel. The two beat their great rivals – Bob and Mike Bryan of the USA – in the final, earning the trophy with a convincing 6-2 6-3 win. This is Zimonjic and Nestor’s eighth title of the season.

The win in Basel has brought Zimonjic and Nestor 500 ATP points and further €71,500 worth of prize money.
Zimonjic and Nestor were strong straight from the blocks and broke their opposition in the first game. The pair maintained their own serve and broke the Bryan twins again to make it 5-2 in the opening set. The rest was formality.
In the second set, the Serb and the Canadian broke the American pair to come to a 2-1 lead, but Bob and Mike Bryan bounced back to overturn the score to 3-2 in their advantage. Still, that was all the American pair could come up with in the final, as Zimonjic and Nestor won all the remaining games in the set and claimed the Basel doubles title.