Closing in on the world No.1 position, Rafael Nadal knows he faces a tough road ahead of him during the second half of the season.
The first six months of 2017 has seen the Spaniard once again establish himself as a heavyweight in men’s tennis following a troublesome wrist injury. At the Australian Open he reached his first grand slam final since the 2014 French Open. Following on from that, the Spaniard dominated the clay-court season by winning four titles, including a record tenth French Open title. He currently leads the ATP Race to London with 7095 points accumulated this season.
“To return to the highest level after the injuries has been key to maintaining the illusion and the desire to continue competing at the highest level,” Nadal recently said on Argentine talk show Con Amigos Asi.
It isn’t just Nadal that has enjoyed a resurgence on the tour this year. Roger Federer continues to prove that age in no barrier after winning four titles, including two grand slam trophies this year. The two have renewed their infamous rivalry this season with Federer winning all three of their encounters on hard-courts.
Due to both men’s absence in 2016 with injury issues, they have few points to defend during the remainder of the season. Nadal is defending just 370 points and Federer has nothing to defend. This situation places them both in a strong position to contest for the world number one accolade. Especially with Novak Djokovic out of action due to injury and Andy Murray is undergoing rehab on his arm.
The future could be reminiscent of past times when it was just Nadal and Federer fighting for the biggest titles on the tour. Still, the Spanish player is determined to do things on his own terms.
“The truth is, I always follow my own path,” said Nadal.
“It’s true that we (Roger and I) are better prepared to compete for nice things at the end of the year but it depends on what we’re able to do from now until the end of the year. We’ll have to wait and see.
“The person who will be able to keep his high level for a longer period of time will have more options to fight for the world No 1 ranking.
“But the same can be said of Murray… and many others who are up there. Maybe they haven’t had the best six months this year but they are also candidates.”
Preparing for the North American swing of the tour, Nadal has been training at his own academy in Manacor along with Grigor Dimitrov. He is set to play in two tournaments prior to the US Open with the Rogers Cup in Canada being the first of them.
“As always, the goal [in next tournaments] is to try to arrive as ready as possible and win as many matches as possible.” He said about his preparation during an interview with IB3 TV.
Nadal is currently 285 points adrift from Murray in the Emirates rankings. Should he rise to the top later this year, it will be the first time he has done so since June 2014.
Nadal’s season so far
Brisbane International – QF (lost to Milos Raonic)
Australian Open – Runner-up (lost to Federer)
Acapulco Open – Runner-up (lost to Sam Querrey)
Indian Wells Masters – R4 (lost to Federer)
Miami Masters – Runner-up (lost to Federer)
Monte Carlo – champion
Barcelona – Champion
Madrid – Champion
Rome – QF (lost to Thiem)
French Open – champion
Wimbledon – R4 (lost to Gilles Muller)
Win-loss record of 46-7
