The plaudits have rung out for Rafael Nadal since his return to the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday. It is a feat few would have thought possible when seeing Nadal desolate at withdrawing during his Roland Garros campaign last year and ultimately dropping to No. 9 in the standings. It was from ninth spot that the Spaniard began 2017 and the tenacity, desire and fighting spirit that has been synonymous with Nadal throughout his career has carried him back to the top. Now Nadal is looking to crown his memorable 2017 by finishing as the year-end No. 1, an achievement that would arguably be of even greater significance in the record books. It is set to be...
No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov, +2 The Bulgarian broke back into the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings on the back of capturing the biggest title of his career, the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati (d. Kyrgios), an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. Dimitrov first spent 15 weeks in the Top 10 starting on 7 July 2014, one further week in February 2015 and two weeks in July this year. He is at his highest position since the week beginning 25 August 2014 (at No. 8). Read Report & Watch Highlights The 26-year-old Dimitrov also moved up three spots to No. 6 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, which determines the eight players who qualify for the...
Almost nine years to the day since he first became No. 1, Spain’s Rafael Nadal today returned to the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings for his fourth stint at the pinnacle of men’s professional tennis. Nadal, who has already spent 141 total weeks at No. 1, replaces Great Britain’s Andy Murray, who had held the top spot for 41 weeks since 7 November 2016. Nadal, who first ascended to No. 1 on 18 August 2008 at the age of 22, last held top spot three years and 45 days ago on 6 July 2014. The Spaniard will now look to stay ahead of his great Swiss rival Roger Federer and finish atop the year-end Emirates ATP Rankings for the...
Francisco Roig, one of Rafael Nadal’s coaches since 2005, was next to the Majorcan when the player knew he was going to become World No. 1 again. The Catalan coach, who has been alongside Nadal for the entire US Open Series, thinks that this achievement will be an extra boost for the Spaniard, a reward for his hard work and dedication. “Being World No. 1 is a consequence of good results,” said Roig to ATPWorldTour.com in Cincinnati. “Since January, Nadal has had a spectacular year. He is very happy and ready to give his best at the US Open. Being No. 1 also means that he is playing great again, winning important matches and especially important tournaments. In some ways,...