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22 maltatoday, TUESDAY, 18 NOVEMBER 2014 Sport EURO 2016 TENNIS Vicente del Bosque denies making Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas threat Spain coach Vicente del Bosque denies he is threatening injured duo Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas by saying it will be tough for them to get back into his team DEFENDER Sergio Ramos sparked tension last week when comments he made about players' commitment to the national team were taken by some as direct criticism of Costa and Fabregas. The Chelsea pair are absent from the Spain squad that played Belarus in a Euro 2016 qualifier on Saturday and faces a friendly with Germany on Tuesday. Following their 3-0 win over Bela- rus, Del Bosque said there may not be an automatic return for Costa and Fabregas when they are fit. But he clarified his statement on Monday, saying he wanted to ex- plain that there is strong competi- tion for places in a new, youthful Spain side. "I said that when someone comes in and does well then another who wants a place will find it more dif- ficult," Del Bosque told a news con- ference. "If I say that Diego Costa and Cesc may struggle to play, I am not threatening them, nor is it a type of revenge or a reprisal against anyone. Simply it reflects a fact of football that everyone knows - if someone doesn't play and his substitute does well, the other will have to do better in order to play. "It is not a case that someone has been ruled out or won't have a chance." Del Bosque feels that Spain - who failed to progress from their group at this year's World Cup - are on the right track again. Their victory over Belarus gave them nine points from four games in group C, three behind leaders Slovakia. "It was an important win where we played well at times, especially in the first half," he said. Looking ahead to the Germany game, Del Bosque said: "In a game like this there isn't much difference between a friendly and an official match. "They want to maintain their high level and we want to continue the good line we have been in since the World Cup and improve our confi- dence." Vincente del Bosque ATP World Tour Finals: Novak Djokovic takes title after Roger Federer pulls out injured Novak Djokovic won his third consecutive ATP World Tour Finals title on a walkover after Roger Federer pulled out ahead of the match THE world number two fought for almost three hours to defeat coun- tryman Stan Wawrinka in the semi- finals on Saturday night, saving four match points, and did not leave the O2 Arena until the early hours of Sunday morning. There was speculation Federer may again have been feeling his back and that only increased when he failed to show up for a scheduled practice ses- sion on Sunday afternoon. The announcement was made fol- lowing the doubles final, which was won by Bob and Mike Bryan, with Federer taking to the court to ex- plain the situation to the fans. He said: "Unfortunately I'm not match fit to play match tonight. Clearly I wish it wasn't this way. You try all year to be ready for the ATP World Tour Finals and I didn't want to end this way. "I tried everything I could last night and today - painkillers, rest - until the very end, but I can't compete at this level with Novak. In a final like this and at my age, it would be too risky. I hope you understand." The news was a huge disappoint- ment for the sell-out crowd, with the clash between the world's top two a highly-anticipated occasion, but they accepted it with little dissent. And the mood picked up when they were told the match would be replaced by an exhibition clash be- tween Djokovic and Andy Murray, which the world number one won 8-5. Federer's withdrawal meant Djokovic became the first player since Ivan Lendl in the 1980s to win three consecutive World Tour Finals titles, with the Serbian unbeaten at the O2 since 2011. The world number one had heard nothing of Federer's troubles until he was told his opponent had with- drawn during the doubles final. Addressing the crowd, Djokovic said: "Clearly this is not the way I wanted things to happen. I'm re- ally sorry for Roger not being able to come to the court. "I've known him for a long time and I would say he and Rafa (Nadal) are the biggest competitors, guys who always give 100 per cent, so I'm sure, if he could have come out and played, he would have done. "I wish him all the best to recover. He has an important week ahead of him. "I feel disappointed for you guys. This is probably the first time in history something like this has hap- pened and I apologise for that. I'm glad Andy's here and I hope we can put on a good show." The hollow victory brought Djoko- vic his seventh title of the season and extended the gap between the two at the top of the rankings. "It's very hard to talk about the achievement of this trophy," said Djokovic. "I'm not one of those play- ers that celebrates these wins. "But this trophy is the crown for all the achievements of this year. I'm very happy to be able to stand here and finish with this trophy." Murray had been at home in Sur- rey playing computer games when he received the call at 2pm from ATP executive chairman and presi- dent Chris Kermode. Kermode revealed Murray - who also played in a doubles matches with John McEnroe, Tim Henman and Pat Cash - accepted the invita- tion immediately and volunteered his services for free. In a self-deprecating reference to the 6-0 6-1 mauling by Federer that ended his season, Murray joked: "I have to apologise because I clearly pushed Roger so hard on Thursday." It is only the third time in his long career that Federer has given an op- ponent a walkover, while he has nev- er pulled out during a match. Fans will be contacted within the next 48 hours and should receive a partial refund as well as priority for next year's final. It is only the third time in his long career that Federer has given an op- ponent a walkover, while he has nev- er pulled out during a match. But the 33-year-old's season is not over, and next weekend's Davis Cup final in Lille, where he will attempt to win one of the few remaining tro- phies to elude him, was surely on his mind. Asked what he would do now, Fe- derer said: "Recovery obviously as quickly as possible, and then travel- ling to France at some point and get- ting ready on the clay for the Davis Cup final." There is a certain irony, mean- while, that it was the ferocity of the battle between Federer and Wawrin- ka that caused the problem only a few days before they play together in Davis Cup. The two are great friends but there was a real edge to the encounter, with Wawrinka appearing to get up- set with Federer's support camp at one point. Wawrinka shrugged off the inci- dent afterwards but, speaking on ESPN, McEnroe said: "Something went on in the locker room, there was a long talk between the players that extended well into the night." Novak Djokovic: Champion in London for a third time