
Nadal Guaranteed King of Tennis Ranking
MASON - August 1, 2008 - Rafael Nadal is guaranteed to claim the No. 1 South African Airways ATP Ranking this month after reaching the semifinals at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters with a 7-6(3), 6-1 victory over Ecuadorian Nicolas Lapentti on Friday night.
The 22-year-old Spaniard will replace Roger Federer as the new World No. 1 player in the South African Airways ATP Rankings this month. The timing of Nadal's rise to No. 1 depends on his results in Cincinnati:
- If Nadal wins the title, he will become No. 1 this Monday.
- If Nadal loses in the final he will become No. 1 on August 11
- If Nadal loses in the semifinals he will become No. 1 on August 18
Federer has held the top ranking a record 235 consecutive weeks (since Feb. 2, 2004) and Nadal has been No. 2 for a record 158 straight weeks (since July 25, 2005). The last player to rank No. 1 before Federer's reign was Andy Roddick the week of Jan. 26, 2004.
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:sobbing: Don't Give Up, Roger!