Nadal In Pole Position To Secure Year-End No. 1
Nadal In Pole Position To Secure Year-End No. 1
Nadal stretches lead over Federer
Rafael Nadal is in pole position to finish the year at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after winning ‘La Decima’ at Roland Garros.
The Spaniard is looking to 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). A 2,000 point add from Roland Garros, where he beat Stan Wawrinka in Sunday’s final, takes Nadal to almost 3,000 points ahead of second-placed Federer, who missed the whole clay-court swing.
View Latest Emirates ATP Race To London Standings
| Year | Race Position | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1. Rafael Nadal 2. Roger Federer |
6,915 4,045 |
| 2016 | 1. Novak Djokovic 2. Andy Murray |
7,950 4,725 |
| 2015 | 1. Novak Djokovic 2. Andy Murray |
7,585 4,400 |
| 2014 | 1. Rafael Nadal 2. Novak Djokovic |
6,465 5,250 |
| 2013 | 1. Rafael Nadal 2. Novak Djokovic |
7,000 5,030 |
| 2012 | 1. Rafael Nadal 2. Novak Djokovic |
6,750 6,120 |
| 2011 | 1. Novak Djokovic 2. Rafael Nadal |
7,695 6,390 |
| 2010 | 1. Rafael Nadal 2. Roger Federer |
6,300 3,285 |
| 2009 | 1. Rafael Nadal 2. Roger Federer |
6,885 5,460 |
| 2008 | 1. Rafael Nadal 2. Novak Djokovic |
710 611 |
| 2007 | 1. Rafael Nadal 2. Roger Federer |
886 801 |
| 2006 | 1. Roger Federer 2. Rafael Nadal |
772 584 |
| 2005 | 1. Roger Federer 2. Rafael Nadal |
710 665 |
| 2004 | 1. Roger Federer 2. Guillermo Coria |
546 449 |
*bold denotes year-end No. 1
The year-end No. 1 (in bold) was either No. 1 or 2 in the Race after Roland Garros every year from 2004-16, with No. 1 in the Race finishing year-end No. 1 eight times and No. 2 five times.
It is quite the turnaround for Nadal, who finished 2016 at No. 9. But Nadal has earned the lead in the Emirates ATP Race To London after phenomenal performances in the first six months of the season, which have seen him and Roger Federer dominate on the ATP World Tour.
The 31-year-old Nadal finished runner-up to Federer in the Australian Open final and also lost out to the Swiss in the Miami final. But he has been almost unbeatable on the European clay. Apart from one defeat to Dominic Thiem in the Rome quarter-finals, Nadal has reigned supreme, winning his 10th titles in Monte-Carlo (d. Ramos-Vinolas) and Barcelona (d. Thiem) and claiming his 30th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown in Madrid (d. Thiem). He romped to the Roland Garros title for the loss of just 35 games.
All eyes now turn to Federer to see how the Swiss will respond in the No. 1 battle when the ATP World Tour moves to grass in the next five weeks. The 35-year-old makes his eagerly anticipated return to action at next week’s MercedesCup in Stuttgart.
Since 2004, the year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings has either been first or second in the year-to-date standings after Roland Garros.
Nadal has been among the top two in the year-to-date standings after Roland Garros in 11 of the past 14 years. This is the first time since 2010 that Nadal and Federer occupy the top two spots in the Emirates ATP Race To London at this stage in the season.