Nadal, Federer Battle For No. 1 At US Open

Aug282017

World No. 1 mantle could hinge on a semi-final showdown at Flushing Meadows

Through the course of their 13-year rivalry, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have played here, there and pretty much everywhere, but never at Flushing Meadows. Should seedings hold true and the Spaniard and Swiss meet in the semi-finals of a stacked top half of the draw, the stakes will be enormous.

Not only will the winner have the chance to add to his massive tally of Grand Slam titles (Nadal has 15, second only to Federer’s 19), a blockbuster semi-final would determine which player will be World No. 1 on the Monday after the US Open.

Nadal reclaimed the top spot on 21 August when Andy Murray’s 41-week run ended. Nadal and Federer find themselves in an immediate battle for the top spot and a longer-term battle for the coveted year-end No. 1 Emirates ATP Ranking, which is all but certain to be a two-man race.

Nadal said that he enjoys his top billing at the year’s final major and at the top of the rankings, an honour he won’t relinquish without a fight. “Being the No. 1 seed and being No. 1 of the world again is good, of course,” he said. “I think it’s a good achievement after three years of having some troubles. So I’m just happy for that.”

Federer said that he would relish a winner-takes-all semi-final battle with Nadal. “I’d love to play Rafa here in New York,” Federer said. “Hopefully it will be a night session. Hopefully that would be a great atmosphere and one again where we play great like at the Australian Open. I think that would be fun for everybody involved.”

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In the short-term battle for No. 1, Federer must reach at least the quarter-finals to have a shot at passing Nadal. Should he reach the semi-finals and Nadal does not make the last four, Federer will be No. 1. If both players reach the semis, the winner of that match will be on top after the US Open.

Almost nine years to the day since he first became No. 1, Nadal last Monday returned to the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings for his fourth stint at the pinnacle of men’s professional tennis. Nadal, who first ascended to No. 1 on 18 August 2008 at the age of 22, previously last held top spot more than three years ago on 6 July 2014.

Federer debuted at No. 1 on 2 February 2004 but has not been there since 4 November 2012. Federer would break two records of Andre Agassi’s if he were to reach the top spot again.

He would become the oldest No. 1 since the Emirates ATP Rankings were established in 1973. The four years and 310 days between 4 November 2012 and 11 September 2017 would also be the longest gap between stints at No. 1.

Federer begins his US Open campaign against #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe. Nadal plays Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic in the first round..

Below is a look at possible Emirates ATP Rankings points totals for Nadal and Federer based on their performances in New York and the No. 1 scenarios.

US OPEN	DNP	1R	2R	3R	4R	QF	SF	FINAL	TITLE
POINTS	0	10	45	90	180	360	720	1,200	2,000
NADAL	7,465	7,475	7,510	7,555	7,645	7,825	8,185	8,665	9,465
FEDERER	7,145	7,155	7,190	7,235	7,325	7,505	7,865	8,345	9,145