David Ferrer stunned fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal in straight sets Friday to set up a final showdown with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic at the $250,000 three-day exhibition tournament here. Ferrer took advantage of a below-par Nadal, winning 6-3, 6-2, after Djokovic had earlier demolished Swiss Roger Federer 6-2, 6-1 at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. Two-time defending champion Nadal blamed a shoulder injury as the world No. 2 trailed from the outset going 5-0 down in the first set. “I knew before coming here that I was not ready to win a match against David Ferrer, not to win a match against Djokovic or Federer,” Nadal said. “But I am ready to spend hours on court without risk of injury. That is the most important thing. I need this transition, hours of practice. If I am here, I will probably have a better feeling for Doha.” “Rafael has not been able to practice much because of his shoulder,” said Ferrer. “But I played very consistent and was happy with my match.” Earlier Djokovic showed no signs of the back and shoulder injuries which hampered his final months of last season as he took just 44 minutes to dispatch world No. 3 Federer. “Definitely an incredible performance. Lots of confidence if I continue playing like this,” said Djokovic, the winner of three Grand Slam and five Masters titles for a 70-6 winning record last season. “I expected him to be very strong again next year, and he's going to be tough to beat,” Federer said. Fifth-ranked Ferrer said he was relishing another clash with the world's top player whom he has a 5-6 record against and handed a rare defeat in the ATP World Tour finals in London last month. “It will be very difficult. Novak is No. 1 in the world. I will do my best to make a good match against him,” warned the Spaniard. Hopman Cup begins today Grand Slam singles champions Li Na and Petra Kvitova lead China and Czech Republic, respectively, into the eight-team Hopman Cup which begins Saturday. Li, who won this year's French Open, will face Marion Bartoli of France in the tournament's opening match Saturday at Burswood Dome. France's Richard Gasquet takes on Wu Di in men's singles, and all four will play what could be the deciding match in mixed doubles to follow. Australia, led by Lleyton Hewitt, plays Spain in the only match Sunday. On Monday, Wimbledon champion Kvitova and Tomas Berdych play for the top-seeded Czechs against Bulgaria, and the United States – Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Mardy Fish – take on world women's No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and Frederik Nielsen of Denmark. Hewitt still up for the fight Former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt says reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated. Speaking in Perth, the 30-year-old said he was not ready to hang up his racket just yet, despite a string of injury setbacks that has seen his ranking plummet. The dual Grand Slam champion heads into the new season ranked 186th in the world, a far cry from his lofty status at the top of the men's game back in 2001. Hewitt is coming off a 2011 in which he played just 20 matches, and won only nine.
