Can Rafael Nadal Regain the No. 1 Ranking by the End of 2011?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 20, 2011

commentComment        

There are at least three faces in men's tennis that even a marginal fan should know. One is cool, calm and collected at all times. One is brimming with energy and newness.

And the other is Rafael Nadal after a loss. Or at a press conference after a loss. Sullen. Brooding. Like a child after you steal his candy.

My allegiances to Roger Federer are no secret, and I'd much prefer to see Novak Djokovic win than watch Nadal creep closer and closer to 16 Grand Slams. I will never wake up early just to watch Nadal, unless he is playing Federer.

Nadal currently trails Djokovic by about 2,000 points in the latest ATP rankings. A Grand Slam title is worth 2,000 points, coincidentally.

Given that Nadal won the 2010 U.S. Open, he'll almost certainly need to defend his title if he wants to return to No. 1 in 2011. He'll also need Djokovic, who was the runner-up at the 2010 U.S. Open (earning 1,200 points), to fall early, ideally in the quarterfinals or earlier.

Nadal was the runner-up at the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals, losing to Federer in three sets and earning 1,000 ranking points. Djokovic earned 400 at the tournament.

All this means is that Nadal has a lot points to defend. He can't improve his position by very much; he can only hold serve.

The No. 1 ranking is Djokovic's to lose. Quite frankly, Nadal doesn't deserve it with the way he's played this season. Or rather, Djokovic just deserves it more.

Nadal was half an inch from falling to Federer in the 2011 French Open finals (recall Federer's drop shot on set point) and then was simply outplayed by Djokovic at Wimbledon.

Simply put, Nadal will be No. 1 again, but not this year. Even if he wins the U.S. Open and year-end championship, Djokovic will be impossible to overtake if he even marginally improves on his 2010 performances.

Read more Tennis news on BleacherReport.com

...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!