Nadal assured of No 1 spot despite semi-final exit

Published on Sunday 3 August 2008 22:53

RAFAEL Nadal doesn't mind the wait. Weary from two months of non-stop winning, Nadal got run around the court late on Saturday and, ultimately, crashed out of the Cincinnati Masters one step shy of another title match.

Instead, it was Novak Djokovic who reached the final with a 6-1, 7-5 victory, but the exit of Nadal only delays the inevitable rise to the top of the world rankings.

In two weeks' time, the 22-year-old Spaniard will automatically move up a spot to No 1. "I feel happy because for sure to be No 1 is hard work from a long, long time ago," Nadal said. "But there's no time to be excited and enjoy."

By reaching the semi-finals of the $2.6 million Cincinnati Masters, Nadal piled up enough points to overtake Roger Federer as the world's No 1 player. Given the way points accrue – the past 52 weeks are counted – he will surpass Federer when the rankings are released on 18 August. Federer has been No 1 for a record 235 consecutive weeks, and he and Nadal have been ranked 1-2 since 25 July, 2005. Nadal will become the third Spaniard to hold the No 1 spot, joining Carlos Moya (1999) and Juan Carlos Ferrero (2003).

Nadal could have moved up immediately by winning in Cincinnati, but was worn down as the week went along. Djokovic ended Nadal's long run of winning tennis – 32 straight matches, five straight tournaments – by being more aggressive, taking chances and making Nadal work hard for every point, especially in the opening set.

"No one is unbeatable but the way he was playing we all thought he's not going to lose any time soon," said Djokovic.

"I tried not to think of his winning streak and what his new ranking spot will be. I tried just to focus on my game. It was my intention to have a fast start and to step in and go for it. And in the second set I just tried to stay with him."

Djokovic ran off the first eight points in the match, and allowed Nadal to win only six points while he pulled ahead 5-0. During the second set, Nadal missed a backhand so badly that the ball flew into the fifth row of seats behind the baseline. In truth, Nadal was a shadow of the player who romped to the Wimbledon and French Open titles earlier this year. He conceded before the match that he was struggling.

After a shaky performance in the quarter-finals on Thursday night, Nadal said he was starting to feel the effect of all the matches he has played in the past two months, including his epic five-set victory over Federer at Wimbledon. On Saturday, he looked worn down in the opening set.

"Probably I wasn't at my 100 per cent," Nadal admitted. "During all this tournament, I didn't play my best much."