After an injury-stricken 2016, Rafael Nadal is once again sitting at the top of the Emirates rankings at the age of 31.
During what has been a stellar first six months of the season for the Spaniard, he has won four titles on the clay. At the French Open he became the first man in history to win the same major for the tenth time. On the hard-courts, Nadal has reached three tournament finals, including the Australian Open. Overall the Manacor-born player has a win-loss record of 47-8 so far this season.
“I’m [having] a great season and I am happy to come back to No. 1, obviously,” Nadal said in Cincinnati last week. “[A lot of things happened] between that time I was in that position [in 2014] and I am going to be again. I had injuries, I had some troubles with my game. But I worked hard, I maintained passion for the game and here I am.”
With the No.1 honours changing from Andy Murray to Nadal, here are five things to know about Nadal’s rise to the top of the men’s game.
1) Has the seventh longest spell as world No.1
This week will be Nadal’s 142nd week as world No.1 and the first time he has been in the position since 2014. So far his career, the Spaniard has reached the pinnacle of the rankings on four separate occasions :-
18/8/2008 – 5/7/2009 (46 weeks)
07/6/2010 – 3/7/2011 (56 weeks)
07/10/2013 – 7/7/2014 (39 weeks)
21/8/2017 – ? (1 week)
If Nadal spends a total of 171 weeks as world No.1, he will overtake sixth place John McEnroe on the all-time list. Roger Federer currently holds the record at 302 weeks.
2) Could achieve a milestone in New York
So far, Nadal has won 194 matches whilst being the world No.1, compared to just 33 losses. At the US Open he could get his 200th win if he wins his semifinal match. The 31-year-old hasn’t gone beyond the semifinals at the tournament since he last won it back in 2013. On the other hand, he has already reached two grand slam finals this season.
3) Spain’s greatest
In the history of the rankings, only three Spanish players have become world No.1. Nadal, Juan Carlo Ferrero and Carlos Moya have all held the position. Overall, Nadal has held the position 14 times longer than his two countryman combined.
No.1 Spanish players
Rafael Nadal (142 weeks)
Juan Carlos Ferrero (8 weeks)
Carlos Moya (2 weeks)
4) Will headline the US Open
For the first time since 2010, Nadal will be the top seed at next week’s final grand slam of the season. He will be bidding to win his sixth major title whilst being No.1 and 16th overall. He will also be seeking his first title of any kind on a hard court since the Qatar Open back in January 2014.
5) Top ten dominance
Despite suffering numerous injury setbacks throughout his career, Nadal has always managed to stay in the world’s top 10 since making his debut in April 2005.
