Weary Nadal pulls out of Masters Cup

Rafael Nadal pulled out of the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai yesterday, citing fatigue after a long season and the need to prepare for the Davis Cup final. The world's top-ranked player made the announcement on his website, describing his withdrawal as "one of the most difficult decisions in my career." Nadal, who won two Grand Slam titles and the Olympic gold medal this year as he supplanted Roger Federer at No. 1, said he was physically rundown. The Spaniard, winner of a fourth straight French Open title and first Wimbledon championship this year, withdrew from the Paris Masters last Friday with a knee problem after losing the first set of his quarterfinal match against Nikolai Davydenko. Nadal also said he hoped that his absence would buy him time for the Davis Cup final against host Argentina from Nov. 21-23.

Alex Ovechkin returned to the Washington Capitals, practicing with his teammates after a week away to spend time with his ailing grandfather in Russia. The NHL's reigning MVP and last season's leading scorer skated with his usual linemates - center Nicklas Backstrom and right wing Viktor Kozlov - and is slated to play tonight when the Capitals are at the Ottawa Senators. Ovechkin missed two games while he was gone, ending his consecutive-game streak at 203. Washington went 1-1 without Ovechkin . . . The Minnesota Wild have placed forward Owen Nolan on injured reserve with a lower body injury. He will miss at least a week.

Richard Hamilton and the Pistons have agreed to a three-year contract extension worth about $34 million, a basketball official told the Associated Press. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced, said two years of the contract are guaranteed and the third is partially guaranteed. Hamilton's current $62 million, seven-year contract was signed five years ago. The former University of Connecticut star has averaged nearly 18 points in the regular season and 21 points in the postseason.

Seve Ballesteros continues to make progress following surgery on a cancerous brain tumor. The 53-year-old Spanish golf great is conscious, breathing unaided, and able to talk to relatives, officials at La Paz Hospital in Madrid said. Ballesteros, a five-time major winner, underwent a 6 1/2-hour operation Oct. 24 to remove the tumor and reduce swelling around the brain. It was his third operation since being admitted 18 days earlier after fainting at Madrid's international airport . . . Greg Yeomans of The Bay Club built a 3-up lead on Rusty Gunnarson (Rochester GC) and held on to win, 1-up, in the Cape Cod chapter of the New England PGA Match Play Championship at the Country Club of New Bedford.

Two runners died after completing the New York City Marathon, one shortly after crossing the finish line and the other several hours later. Carlos Jose Gomes, a 58-year-old Brazilian, had just completed the race when he complained about feeling ill, police said. He was taken by ambulance to a Manhattan hospital, where he died. The cause was a heart attack, the medical examiner's office said yesterday. The other runner who died was a man whose identity and cause of death weren't immediately disclosed, said Richard Finn, a spokesman for the New York Road Runners Club, the race organizer. The medical examiner's office said it hadn't received a report of the second death.

Suffolk Downs canceled its live racing program yesterday because of a tote system failure. The card has been rescheduled for Friday, pending approval of the State Racing Commission. First post will be 12:45 p.m. The live racing season at Suffolk concludes Saturday.