[ad_1]
Is that this the ultimate demise knell for tennis’ ‘Huge 3’ as we knew it?
Rafael Nadal has joined fellow legend Roger Federer in slipping off the rostrum within the males’s tennis’ world rankings, leaving Novak Djokovic standing excessive and mighty because the world No. 1.
It’s solely the fourth time in Nadal’s profession — and the primary since early 2017 — the 35-year-old Spaniard has fallen out of the highest three since he first arrived there in 2005.
Nadal, who like 40-year-old rival Federer has been battling accidents of late, misplaced to Lloyd Harris within the spherical of 16 in Washington to seek out himself dropping one place to No.4 with the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas changing him at three.
Daniil Medvedev sits behind Djokovic at No.2 whereas Federer has slipped to ninth as he battles season-threatening, and doubtlessly career-threatening, illnesses.
Watch Tennis Dwell with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. Dwell Protection of ATP + WTA Tour Tournaments together with Each Finals Match. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >
Federer pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics with a knee damage he’d been nursing after greater than a yr of rehabilitation from two surgical procedures in 2020.
His final Grand Slam participation resulted in a quarter-final whitewash at Wimbledon, the place he fell in straight units to Hubert Hurkacz. Federer’s standing for the US Open, set to start out in 20 days, stays in query.
Nadal has been coping with patellar tendinitis in each knees for the reason that age of 21.
Knee issues saved him out of Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics, and the disrupted build-up might value the Spaniard a professional shot at a fifth US Open title.
“It’s been a few powerful months for me by way of bodily points,” Nadal instructed reporters on the occasion in Toronto.
“I do know I’m not at my peak but, however I believe I’ve been practising higher than what I performed in Washington so I’m excited to maintain going right here and have the ability to play a bit of bit higher than there.”
Nadal will face Harris once more within the Toronto Spherical of 32 on Thursday.
There are additionally questions over Djokovic’s health heading into the US Open. He withdrew from the Olympic combined doubles finalafter selecting up a shoulder damage in his three-set bronze-medal match loss to Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta.
The World No.1 additionally withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters to nurse his damage to full well being, that means he heads into the US Open and not using a lead-up occasion.
Tsitsipas, in the meantime, has earned a brand new career-high rating.
“Being on the rating that I can be tomorrow, it’s a enormous motivation and an excellent indication that I’ve achieved nice up to now,” Tsitsipas stated earlier than his Rogers Cup conflict in opposition to Ugo Humbert.
“[I am] simply typically blessed that I’ve put in a lot work to make it to the highest three, which [I would consider] fairly a particular milestone.”
“That [Top 10 breakthrough] was an amazing dream of mine being fulfilled. The highest three is by itself, one thing fully completely different,” Tsitsipas stated.
Italian teenager Jannik Sinner, who received the Washington event on the weekend, was the massive rankings mover as he jumped 9 locations to fifteen.
ATP RANKINGS
1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 12,113 pts 2. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 9,643 3. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 8,115 (+1) 4. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 7,315 (-1) 5. Alexander Zverev (GER) 7,183 6. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 6,915 7. Andrey Rublev (RUS) 6,005 8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 5,533 9. Roger Federer (SUI) 4,215 10. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 3,625 11. Pablo Carreño (ESP) 3,260 12. Casper Ruud (NOR) 3,205 13. Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 3,118 14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2,913 15. Jannik Sinner (ITA) 2,745 (+9) 16. Félix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) 2,693 (-1) 17. Alex De Minaur (AUS) 2,600 (+1) 18. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2,585 (-2) 19. David Goffin (BEL) 2,513 (+1) 20. Christian Garín (CHI) 2,475 (-1)
[ad_2]
Source link
