The 23-year-old Nadal, who is ranked No. 3 in the world, was dominated in the match Saturday night by a confident Djokovic, who secured a spot in the final of this tune-up event for the U.S. Open against Switzerland's Roger Federer.
Cincinnati was just Nadal's second event since his stunning loss at this year's French Open and subsequent withdrawal from Wimbledon due to tendonitis in both knees.
The six-time Grand Slam champion got off to a great start this year, capturing his first Australian Open title, and appeared destined to finish No. 1 for the second straight year.
The knee problems, however, cost him the top spot in the rankings, and even led some observers to speculate that his physically demanding style of play might have caused a career-threatening injury.
Nadal will now focus on the U.S. Open, the year's last Grand Slam tournament, which gets underway on Aug. 31 and is an event the Spaniard has never won.
The Western & Southern Financial Group Masters is one of nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events, which rank just below the four Grand Slams and the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in terms of ranking points and prestige. EFE
msp/hv

More News:
Market Updates |
Stock Alerts |
All Trading News |
Stock Index