Rafael Nadal could become number one in the world before the US Open
Rafael Nadal could start the US Open as the world number one. For that the Spaniard needs a tournament win in Cincinnati - and some help fromDaniil Medvedev .
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit:
Aug 12, 2022, 01:33 pm

After Daniil Medvedev 's early defeat in Montreal, Rafael Nadal has the chance next week at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati to displace the Russian from the top of the world rankings and to become the industry leader at the US Open, which begins on August 29th deny.
Medvedev's lead over Nadal (2255 points) still seems comfortable, but the 26-year-old - after clearly missing out on defending his title in Canada - will lose 990 points next Monday. This means that Medvedev will only be 125 points ahead of Alexander Zverev, but after his cancellation for the event in Cincinnati , the German has no chance of climbing to the top of the world rankings before the US Open. The same goes for Carlos Alcaraz.
Nadal must win tournament in Cincinnati
It is therefore up to Nadal to dispute Medvedev's place in the sun. The prerequisite for this is a tournament victory for the 22-time Grand Slam champion in Ohio, where he will return to the tour after a little more than a month's injury break.
In addition, Nadal is also somewhat dependent on Medvedev's help in Cincinnati. Should the reigning US Open champion at least reach the quarterfinals, he would definitely remain world number one. Accordingly, Nadal will hope that Medvedev, as in Montreal, will be tripped in his opening game. Or a round later in the round of 16.