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 Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 12-19 November at The O2 in London. Dimitrov has never played at the prestigious season-ending tournament.

No. 1 Rafael Nadal, +1
Almost nine years to the day since he first became No. 1, the Spaniard 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. Read & Watch Tributes

No. 14 John Isner, +5
The giant American reached his ninth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final (or better) in Cincinnati (l. to Dimitrov), beating Viktor Troicki and three #NextGenATP compatriots – Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Jared Donaldson – along the way. In rising five spots to No. 14, Isner is up to his highest ranking since being No. 13 on 21 March 2016. This week he competes at the Winston-Salem Open, where he captured the 2011 and 2012 titles.

No. 18 Nick Kyrgios, +5
The Australian played with great control to beat David Goffin, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Ivo Karlovic, Nadal and David Ferrer en route to his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final – the fifth title match of his career (3-2 record) – in Mason, Ohio. He remains five spots short of his career-high of No. 13 on 24 October 2016.

No. 25 David Ferrer, +6
The 35-year-old Spaniard continues a career resurgence by moving back to his highest position since 6 February 2017, having fallen to Kyrgios in the Cincinnati semi-finals. With a 12-3 record since Wimbledon, including his 27th ATP World Tour crown at the SkiStar Swedish Open in Bastad, former World No. 3 Ferrer is one to watch through to the end of the season.

Other Top 100 Movers This Week
No. 38 Ivo Karlovic, +6
No. 51 Jared Donaldson, +9
No. 60 Nikoloz Basilashvili, +5
No. 63 Alexandr Dolgopolov, +8
No. 67 Damir Dzumhur, +6
No. 71 Frances Tiafoe, +16
No. 90 Victor Estrella Burgos, +22
No. 99 Laslo Djere, +9

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 first time since 2013 and for the fourth time in his career (2008, 2010, 2013).

“Being No. 1 after all the things that I have been going through the last couple of years is something unbelievable, so [it] is, for me, an amazing achievement to be back to that position after [a] few years, three years,” said Nadal.

View Latest Emirates ATP Rankings

The 31-year-old Nadal has spent three previous stints at No. 1 – 46 weeks between 18 August 2008 and 5 July 2009, 56 weeks from 7 June 2010 to 3 July 2011 and 39 weeks between 7 October 2013 and 6 July 2014. He holds the record for the longest gap – nine years and three days – between his debut at No. 1 and his return today, which betters the previous mark of American Jimmy Connors, who was first No. 1 on 29 July 1974 and last at No. 1 on 3 July 1983 – a gap of eight years and 339 days.

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman and President, said, “To regain the No. 1 ranking nine years after having first reached it is unprecedented. Rafa has been setting records throughout his remarkable career and this one is as impressive as any. It shows incredible dedication and longevity, and we congratulate him on this amazing achievement.”

The Spanish superstar, who ended the 2016 season early due to a wrist injury, has returned in 2017 playing some of the best tennis of his career. In compiling an ATP World Tour-best 49-9 match record, Nadal has captured four trophies this season, including historic 10th titles at Roland Garros (d. Wawrinka), the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (d. Ramos-Vinolas) and the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (d. Thiem), in addition to a fifth crown at the Mutua Madrid Open (d. Thiem). He has also reached three other finals – the Australian Open (l. to Federer), Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco (l. to Querrey) and the Miami Open presented by Itau (l. to Federer).

On 12 June, Nadal became the first player to qualify for the 2017 season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November. It is the 13th straight year that he has qualified for the elite eight-player tournament.

THE NUMBER ONES
A list in chronological order of the 26 players who have ranked No. 1 in the history of the Emirates ATP Rankings (since 1973):

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, this is the most important goal. Getting back to the top shows how good Rafa is, but also how long and successful his career has been.”

At 31 years old, Nadal has reclaimed the top spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings and the return to the pinnacle of the game has a particularly great significance after two difficult years.

“That’s because Nadal is a very good player”, Roig continued. “When he starts to find his rhythm and feels he can execute what he practises, then he is always competing for the biggest titles. Obviously the rest of the field might not be at their best but this also happened the other way around when Rafa lost the World No. 1 position a few years ago. It has been a long, long journey. And everybody who was beside him during a tough period knew that he would come back to the top. That he would be No. 1 again. That he would fight again for big titles and Grand Slams. If you fight for those titles, you are also fighting for the World No. 1.”

Over the last eight months of the 2017 season, Nadal has won four titles, including his 10th Roland Garros crown, two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (Monte-Carlo and Madrid) and the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Those trophies, plus good results in other tournaments (Australian Open, Acapulco and Miami finals) have lifted him to the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings once more.

“If we are especially happy, it is because we know that Rafa has been through a lot, that he has worked tremendously hard and also he has suffered a lot,” Roig admitted. “It is not an easy task to be here at age 31 and for sure it will be a confidence boost.

“Rafa now has his top level. He doesn’t have the fears of other seasons. In the past, you could see that the opponent could come out on court knowing that Nadal had lost a few more matches, and that would convince him he could win. But once you start winning more and more matches, it helps your confidence but also helps to intimidate your opponent a little bit. That shows you once more how good he is. Since 2005, he has been nine times in the Top 2, never left the Top 10 and he missed the No. 1 spot only a couple times because of an injury. He is great like Federer or Djokovic in that it will be difficult to see something like this again. Winning so many Slams, Masters 1000s… At the end, a Masters 1000 is way more difficult than a major. And he has 15 Slams!”

Now, with the US Open fast approaching, Nadal will keep the top spot for at least three weeks, although he knows that whatever happens in New York could be decisive for the year-end top position.

“The US Open will set the tone for the No. 1 race,” said Roig. “It’s 2000 points and logically it’s a big bite. If after the US Open they are close, history says that Federer is the favourite in the last part of the season. It won’t be easy, but I see Rafa is capable. The most important thing is that he keeps the desire, the drive and the passion. We are talking about one of the greatest in history.”

Of course, being World No. 1 during the season is not the same as finishing the year in that position. The year-end No. 1 is something that Nadal has already achieved three times (2008, 2010 and 2013), but the goal is to claim it once again.

“It’s always important to finish the year as World No. 1 because it means that you have been the most consistent and regular player from January until November,” Roig added. “That’s the aim: to win the US Open and finish at the top at the end of the season.”

A LOOK BACK

Acqua Dolomia Tennis Cup (Cordenons, Italy): Swedish 21-year-old Elias Ymer secured his third Challenger title with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Roberto Carballes Baena in Cordenons. It was the third straight week a #NextGenATP player had won a Challenger title with Michael Mmoh in Lexington, Alexander Bublik in Aptos and now Ymer in Cordenons all triumphing. Ymer had fallen to No. 293 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, but continued his resurgence and did not drop a set all week.

Odlum Brown VanOpen (Vancouver, Canada): After being sidelined for nearly three years due to hip surgery and other injuries, German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe claimed his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the season in Vancouver on Sunday. A former No. 71 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Stebe routed Australia’s Jordan Thompson 6-0, 6-1 in the 54-minute final, the second fastest decider of 2017. It marked the return of the hugely popular $100,000 Vancouver Challenger event after a one-year hiatus. Second seed Thompson was bidding for his fifth Challenger title and first of the year. The 26 year old Stebe was ranked outside the Top 500 a year ago and will close in on a return to the Top 100 at No. 106. Read More: Fast Cars And World-Class Tennis In Vancouver.

Milex Open 2017 (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic): There were huge celebrations in the Dominican Republic on Saturday when 37-year-old local Victor Estrella Burgos defeated 2015 champion Damir Dzhumur in Santo Domingo. It was his seventh ATP Challenger Tour title and first in more than two years. It also meant the first home-grown winner at the $125,000 Challenger event and the oldest titlist on the circuit this year. Estrella Burgos claimed the title with a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over the top seed, before an exuberant and passionate crowd at the Santo Domingo Tenis Club. Learn More About The Milex Open and home favourite Estrella Burgos. 

Bucher Reisen Tennis Grand Prix (Meerbusch, Germany): Spaniard Ricardo Ojeda Lara had just five ATP Challenger match wins in his career until the Meerbusch final. His 6-4, 6-3 defeat of Austrian Andreas Hairder-Maurer landed him a maiden Challenger tile and made him a tour-leading sixth different Spanish winner on the tour this year, joining Adrian Menendez-Maceiras, Nicola Kuhn, Jaume Munar, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Roberto Carballes Baena.

Congrats @RikiOjeda on a first #ATPChallenger ?! Ojeda Lara defeats Andreas Haider-Maurer 64 63 for the title in Meerbusch, Germany. pic.twitter.com/jUVNY8b3Rs

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) August 20, 2017

A LOOK AHEAD

The Antonio Savoldi–Marco Cò – Trofeo Dimmidisì in Mangerbio, Italy is the sole Challenger event to take place this week. The $50,000 clay-court event has been staged since 1999 with David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro among the past champions. This year, Spanish former World No. 23, Guillermo Garcia Lopez is the top seed with Czech Adam Pavlasek seeded second. Garcia Lopez’s countryman, former World No. 5 Tommy Robredo, has also entered while Challenger title winners from the weekend – Elias Ymer and Ricardo Ojeda Lara – will look to make it back-to-back triumphs.

View Draws & Watch Free Live Streams

ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: The ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallenger at twitter.com/ATPChallenger

He was 15 years old, but already had the trademark spirit that brought him all the way to the World No. 1 position where he stands today. It was a Monday, the 17th of September in 2001. The clay of the Real Club de Tenis Betis was burning early in the morning. An unranked youngster, who was already touted to carry an enormous potential, was about to debut at an ATP Challenger Tour event, in search of his first point in the Emirates ATP Rankings. His name was Rafael Nadal.

“Who’s your opponent?”
“A wildcard… Rafael Nadal.”
“Oh! That guy plays well, but he’s really young.”

This conversation is remembered by Israel Matos Gil, Rafa’s opponent in the first round, a qualifier and No. 751 in the Emirates ATP Rankings back then. Right after the draw ceremony, his fellow players warned him about a danger that he had already seen himself some days before.

Read more stories in our Rafa Returns To No. 1 tribute…
Rafael Nadal: The Humble Champion
Coach Roig: ‘Rafa Has Been Through A Lot’
Peers Pay Tribute To Rafa

“I heard that a Spanish player was doing really well for his age. However, I saw him play his first ITF Futures event in Madrid against one of my practice pals, Guillermo Platel. After having many match points, Rafa didn’t get the victory but he didn’t lose his temper on court either,” Israel reflects.

“The next day, when we arrived at the club at eight in the morning, Rafa was already training. It shocked me how a guy who had lost such a tough match the day before could be the first to appear on the practice court. That made me think: I have to follow this guy.”

The sport gave Matos Gil the chance to see the magnitude of such a phenomenon the very next week in Seville. Just a game was enough for him to understand that the precocious 15 year old on the other side of the net, who was receiving compliments all the time, had a special talent.

“His demeanor on court was simply incredible. His look, his character. How a kid of his age was able to see the things with that clarity on court. How he was able to behave like an adult, as if he was used to playing those kinds of tournaments for years.”

Brave and without signs of fear, he started breaking his opponent’s serve.

“He broke me and immediately celebrated it with his trademark move, lifting his fist and his knee”. That was pure Nadal. Passion and determination together, with victory as its only destiny. There were some dramatic, tense moments. But in those pivotal points he always knew how to play. That was not usual. There were really good guys of his age, but he was a different player.”

6-4, 6-4. The score was decided in Rafa’s favour, giving him his first five points in the Emirates ATP Rankings. “Back then, Rafa didn’t have such an aggressive game, but his movement was excellent. He made you compete for every single ball and didn’t give free points,” describes Matos. “His tennis has evolved into a more offensive version, but at the beginning he was able to win rallies by out-running his opponents. He could chase down 10-12 balls, ready to keep playing until the other player was exhausted.”

The difference was made not only by his game, but also by his stature on the court. “If we talk about his presence on court, he was a 15-year-old guy who behaved like a 20 year old. It seemed that he had much more experience than he really had. I played, I lost and I immediately knew he would do big things”, said his opponent on the Andalusian clay, who vividly remembers the handshake at the net. “I told him I was surprised by his game. I was obviously disappointed but it wasn’t the usual anger. I had just lost against a young player who had a special demeanor on court. I congratulated him as I did with very few people after a defeat.”

Rafa’s run ended in the second round. Italy’s Stefano Galvani, crowned champion some days later, saw how the Majorcan was the only player able to get a set from him during that week. “Since a very young age he showed special details in such a demanding sport, where physical, mental, technical and tactical acumen are needed to succeed. Seeing how he dominated the mental side and how he kept his emotions under control was astounding”, added Matos, a privileged witness the day that Rafa won his first Emirates ATP Rankings point.

After his 2016 season, few predicted that Rafael Nadal would be returning to No. 1 on 21 August 2017. The Spanish star had to end his 2016 season early because of a nagging left wrist injury, yet here he is, back at the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings.

Spanish tennis legends, as well as current players from Spain, talked with ATPWorldTour.com about Nadal’s ascension to the top.

Read more stories in our Rafa Returns To No. 1 tribute…
Rafael Nadal: The Humble Champion
Coach Roig: ‘Rafa Has Been Through A Lot’
The Day Nadal Won His First Emirates ATP Rankings Point

Manolo Santana
“Rafa is a fighter, a warrior, and has always managed to show his best level after suffering physical setbacks. During the past few months I’ve seen him in play in Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Paris and London. His ambition and desire to stay at the top keeps surprising me more and more each time. Right now he’s the best player in the world and his [year-end No. 1] contest against Federer is going to be beautiful. I can’t wait to arrive in New York to follow the US Open and, later, see who clinches the year-end No. 1. It’s been a spectacular season and we the tennis lovers are having a ball.”

Alex Corretja
“It is fair to say that Spanish tennis is a force worldwide, but Nadal is its captain. Everybody looks up to Rafa and he’s making Spanish tennis even bigger. I would like to underline a point about Rafa: We should inculcate his values of hard work, humility and passion for tennis to every up-and-coming player. To be like him is going to be impossible, but we can transmit his spirit. Having him back at the top is the best thing that could have happened to our tennis.”

Alberto Berasategui
“Being back at No. 1 is very important for Rafa, but also a big example of effort, personal growth and fight. It means that he has been doing things right. He needed to lift a lot of big titles to be back at the top. Winning Grand Slam crowns also mean the world for him. Every detail counts to earn his place in history, but being No. 1 once again is incredible.”

Jordi Arrese
“For all the values that Rafa echoes, his return to No. 1 is the best for our tennis. Back in December, when you saw him training, one could imagine him regaining the top spot. He was practising with immense passion, and that is pivotal. He deserves it.”

Roberto Bautista Agut
“Rafa is a great example, not just for tennis but for sport in general. He represents the values and principles of fighting spirit, constant improvement and also the desire to keep winning. He truly deserves to be where he is, so congratulations to him and his team.”

Pablo Carreno Busta
“You can expect everything from Rafa because he has proven time after time that he is able to do amazing things. For instance, being injured and coming back to the top of the top. It’s very remarkable. If someone could do this, for sure Rafa was the one.”

Albert Ramos-Vinolas
“It’s amazing, but there is also something clear: After I lost the final in Monte-Carlo against him, I could see him back at the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings. His level was unbelievable. At the end of the year it will be between him and Federer but so far Nadal’s achievements have been amazing.”

David Ferrer
“People buried Rafa and that was a sure mistake. He had injuries and had struggled physically and even in that situation he has been able to stay among the best, having options and fighting to be competitive again. It is normal that great players such as Rafa come back to their best and with that, reach the top.”

Nicolas Almagro
“Being able to regain the No. 1 position is just insane. Another milestone for Rafa, for Spanish tennis but also a great example for the tennis world. If someone dared to have doubts about him, Rafa proves once more that his desire remains intact and his commitment never goes below 100 per cent.”

Marc Lopez
“I always had faith in Rafa. Always. It’s true that reaching the World No. 1 position was not an easy task seeing how good Djokovic or Murray were playing, or Federer this year. But Rafa never stops surprising you. I knew he would try and try again to be back to his best. But his year has been simply amazing so far. It’s insane. I am really happy for him and I know that for him this is very, very special. Rafa’s success is based on hard work and also that capacity of never surrender. He is an example.”

Guillermo García-Lopez
“For the Spanish tennis, to have Rafa there means that our tennis is back at the top. At the summit. Obviously Rafa is La Armada’s face. That puts us again amongst the best and it is a priceless recognition. Personally I think that Rafa has shown again his personal drive, his spirit of sacrifice. It’s a lesson for all of us. For a long time it was very unfair to hear comments about him. ‘He won’t be the one he was’, they said. ‘He won’t be World No. 1 again’. I never thought that.”

Tommy Robredo
“Rafa shows again that you cannot bury someone of his talent and hunger. I think his achievement is something great for our sport, for sport in general. Youngsters can look up to him and they’ll see him at the top again, where he deserves to be, but also they’ll see what it takes to be there. All the sacrifices and effort you have to put into it in order to succeed. Every comeback is spectacular but the older you get the more difficult and amazing it is to succeed. And to see him fighting like that when he has won everything makes it more admirable.”

Pablo Andujar
“Rafa is the perfect example of perseverance and always wanting to get better and improve. He is incomparable. There will be no one like him. Another player in his situation wouldn’t have made it after all the injuries and difficult moments.”

What You Need To Know About Nadal’s No. 1 

Weeks at No. 1: This will mark Nadal’s first week at No. 1 in 2017, but overall, the Spaniard will be celebrating his 142nd week and 995th day at the top spot. As far as hours, Nadal has enjoyed more than 23,860 hours at No. 1.

Total Weeks At The Top Emirates ATP Ranking

Longest streak: Nadal spent 56 consecutive weeks at No. 1 from 7 June 2010 to 4 July 2011.

Consecutive Weeks At No. 1

First time: Nadal’s debut at World No. 1 was 18 August 2008 and his stay there lasted almost a year, until 5 July 2009.

Second time: The Spaniard reclaimed the throne on 7 June 2010, the day his longest streak started.

Third time around: In October 2013, Nadal again climbed to the top Emirates ATP Ranking a long injury layoff. It was a remarkable comeback during a year to remember.

Big Titles Won As No. 1: During his three spells at the top, Nadal won five Grand Slam titles and five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns.

GRAND SLAMS
Australian Open 2009 (d. Federer)
Wimbledon 2010 (d. Berdych)
US Open 2010 (d. Djokovic)
Roland Garros 2011 (d. Federer)
Roland Garros 2014 (d. Djokovic)

ATP WORLD TOUR MASTERS 1000 TITLES
Indian Wells 2009 (d. Murray)
Monte-Carlo 2009 (d. Djokovic)
Rome 2009 (d. Djokovic)
Monte-Carlo 2011 (d. Ferrer)
Madrid 2014 (d. Nishikori)

Matches played as No. 1: Nadal has played a total of 227 matches as World No. 1, going 194-33, a winning percentage of 85. Of those 33 losses, eight came against one man: Novak Djokovic.

Longest matches as No. 1: Four times a match exceeded the four-hour mark with Nadal playing as World No. 1. The Spaniard won all four contests.

Two epic back-to-back wins are at the top of the list: Nadal’s 2009 Australian Open semi-final against Fernando Verdasco, which lasted five hours and 10 minutes; and Nadal’s 2009 Australian Open final against Roger Federer, which concluded after four hours and 19 minutes.

A tennis champion is one who doesn’t just win matches, collects trophies or plays in an aesthetically pleasing way, but in the eyes of fans globally embodies professionalism, commitment and sportsmanship on and off the court. In an era when superlatives are thrown around, when players are categorised and all-time lists are compiled, there are those gilded few, in living memory, from Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who are lionised. Not just for who they are, but what they represent.

Nadal has sat on a pedestal, living in the spotlight for much of the past 17 years – from the tennis prodigy who practised three times a week from the age of 14 with fellow Mallorcan Carlos Moya, to the winner of 73 tour-level crowns on all surfaces today. His every move, match (and injury) is scrutinised.

Today, in privacy, surrounded by his family and friends, Nadal could be forgiven to shed a tear upon his return to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, but the hard-working, humble and passionate Spanish champion won’t allow time for such emotion. He’ll be found on a practice court, wearing down his training partner with match-quality focus, under the gaze of Toni Nadal, Francisco Roig or Moya.

Omnipresent in the Top 10 since 25 April 2005, aged 18, the past 13 seasons have illustrated Nadal’s qualities as a fighter on and off the court. In overcoming elbow, ankle, knee and wrist injuries along the way, Nadal has returned to peak form time and again – striking through the ball with depth and great power, and competing with a clear mind when it comes to the crunch in pressure situations.

Few who witnessed, will ever forget, a crestfallen Nadal walk into a press conference to announce his withdrawal from Roland Garros last year, prior to his third-round match, with strapping on his left wrist. After three years of injuries, had Nadal’s battered body succumbed?

No, there was soon a familiar defiance. In compiling an ATP World Tour best 49-9 match record on the 2017 season, including four titles from seven finals, an injury-free Nadal has made a comeback to peak form. The older you get as a tennis player, the more complex and amazing such a return becomes.

At 31 years of age, Nadal now adds to his 141 weeks at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, since his last period in top spot ended on 6 July 2014. It is Nadal’s terrific dedication and resilient nature that has ensured today, 21 August 2017, almost nine years to the day since he first attained the top spot, he begins his fourth stint at the summit of men’s professional tennis.

A tennis champion should never be written off. Nadal has been on countless occasions, since he first missed seven months of the 2012/13 season due to a knee injury, but he refused to listen to the critics of his dynamic and physical game. He has always known what is required to be the best, the sacrifices he has needed to make so not to bury any hunger, which, in turn, has allowed his talent to flourish.

While coaches globally may be unable to replicate the characteristics of Nadal’s game in their young charges, they can learn of the Spaniard’s spirit and humility. He is an example of everything that is good about the sport – a superstar player, who continually looks to master his craft in spite of his achievements, untouched by his stardom.

The Winston-Salem Open, 2016 ATP World Tour 250 Tournament of the Year, kicked off on Sunday. In a stacked top quarter of the draw, Marcos Baghdatis moved into the second round following a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Ricardas Berankis. Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic dismissed another Cypriot – wild card Petros Chrysochos 6-2, 6-3 – in just 59 minutes, saving both break points while converting on three of his own.

Baghdatis will next face 16th seed Jiri Vesely, while Lajovic squares off against top seed and last year’s finalist Roberto Bautista Agut. The winners of both encounters will meet in the third round.

In other action, Thiago Monteiro won his second FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting with Alexandr Dolgopolov in less than a month, prevailing 6-3, 6-3. The Brazilian had also defeated the Ukrainian in the Gstaad first round. Joining Monteiro in the second round were Jan-Lennard Struff, a 7-6(3), 7-6(4) winner over Norbert Gombos, and Andrey Kuznetsov, a 7-6, 6-2 winner over Nicolas Kicker.

Kuznetsov will face a tall order in his next match, dueling with third seed and two-time champion John Isner. The American is coming off a semi-final finish at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Fast feet and slow backhands.

That was the mercurial mix that engineered Grigor Dimitrov’s maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title over Nick Kyrgios at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Sunday. Dimitrov won 6-3, 7-5, saving both break points faced while winning a dominant 69 per cent (18/26) of second serves, which was far superior to Kyrgios’ 44 per cent (8/18).

Dimitrov showed exemplary footwork and speed on defence, many times sliding on the hard court well behind the baseline, miraculously putting one more ball back in play. It had a cumulative effect on Kyrgios, who had no answer for his quicker opponent when rally lengths reached double digits.

There were 16 rallies in the match that were at least 10 shots long, and Dimitrov amazingly won 15 of them. Kyrgios dominated the “first-strike” rallies, 38-34, when a maximum of only four shots were hit in the court.

But Dimitrov led 33-14 when a rally was extended to five shots or longer. That fifth ball in play was the line in the sand that clearly separated who was favoured to ultimately win the point.

It was one of those matches where there didn’t seem to be a ball that Kyrgios could hit that Dimitrov couldn’t run down.

Rally Length: Points Won
• 0-4 Shots: Kyrgios 38 / Dimitrov 34

• 5-9 Shots: Dimitrov 18 / Kyrgios 13

• 10+ Shots: Dimitrov 15 / Kyrgios 1

The main defensive weapon for Dimitrov was his slice backhand, which had the added benefit of giving Kyrgios less power for the Australian to use back at him.

When Dimitrov defeated Feliciano Lopez 7-6(5), 6-4 in his second-round match in Cincinnati, Dimitrov’s average groundstroke speed was a quick 76 mph. But against Kyrgios, Dimitrov dropped it 10 mph on purpose, averaging just 66 mph, to Kyrgios’ 68 mph. Kyrgios simply had nothing to work with.

Kyrgios Groundstroke Errors
Once the point migrated past the explosive serve and return at the beginning of the point, Dimitrov was always looking to match up his forehand to the Australian’s backhand. Kyrgios committed 12 backhand groundstroke errors for the match, with eight of them coming right after a probing Dimitrov forehand. Of the four backhands that followed a Dimitrov backhand, two were from a slice backhand, and two followed a topspin backhand.

Kyrgios also committed 12 forehand groundstroke errors, with eight preceded by a Dimitrov forehand, and four from a backhand. Interestingly, Kyrgios missed four low forehand approach shots, with three of them coming off a heavy slice backhand from Dimitrov that stayed low.

Read More: Kyrgios Pleased With Cincy Final Run

Overall, Kyrgios won only 5/9 (56 per cent) points at net, missing several more opportunities to come forward by not taking care of the approach shot.

Dimitrov’s clever defensive game plan worked to perfection against Kyrgios. The Bulgarian shrunk the court with his blinding speed and made Kyrgios over play because he routinely had to hit the ball lower and slower out of strike zone. It was as smart a strategic match as Dimitrov has ever played.