Many tennis observers now regard Rafael Nadal as the top men's player after his stirring five-set Wimbledon victory on Sunday, but the computer says the honour goes to the man he conquered.
Roger Federer of Switzerland is No. 1 in the latest ATP rankings, released Monday, the 232nd consecutive week he has been in the top spot.
Nadal, in his 155th straight week at No. 2, reduced the margin by 600 points with his victory. The Spaniard now has 6,055 points, with Federer at 6,600.
Nadal beat Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 Sunday in a match that lasted nearly five hours and was completed just before darkness fell. He defeated Federer in the final for the second consecutive Grand Slam, having won at the French Open in June.
Federer is without a win in three consecutive Grand Slams for the first time since he began accumulating his 12 Grand Slams in 2003. The Swiss star will likely have to repeat as U.S. Open champion in September to retain top spot in the rankings.
ATP rankings are based on points received from Grand Slam and Masters events, with players forced to defend or better their performances from events the previous year.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia remains No. 3 despite an early loss to Marat Safin at Wimbledon. David Ferrer of Spain and Nikolay Davydenko switch positions in the top five, with Ferrer now at No. 4.
Andy Murray of Scotland enters the top 10 after reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Murray is No. 9, with Stanislaw Wawrinka of Austria rounding out the top 10. Richard Gasquet of France was bounced from the first 10, falling to No. 15.
Frank Dancevic is the lone Canadian in the top 100. The Niagara Falls, Ont., native is no. 99, down four spots.
Nadal and Ferrer lead a group of seven Spaniards in the top 25, a list that includes Nicolas Almagro (11), Fernando Verdasco (13), Tommy Robredo (17), Feliciano Lopez (22), and Carlos Moya (25).
Safin and Rainer Schuettler, the surprise men's semifinalists at Wimbledon, made big gains. Safin moved up 35 spots to No. 40, one behind Schuettler, who was previously 94th.
Jie Zheng, the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam semifinal, rockets to No. 40. Jie entered the tournament ranked 133rd
Ivanovic still atop women's rankings
Ana Ivanovic retains top spot in the women's rankings despite her early exit from Wimbledon. The Serbian leads the WTA rankings with 3,828 points.
Fellow Serb Jelena Jankovic moves up from third to second. Maria Sharapova of Russia drops to third after bowing out in the second round at Wimbledon.
Wimbledon runner-up Serena Williams moves up one spot to fifth, switching spots with Elena Dementieva of Russia.
Despite winning in London for a second consecutive time and fifth overall, Venus Williams remains seventh in the rankings. Williams entered Wimbledon with just a 14-7 record in 2008, never making it past the quarter-finals of any event.
The WTA tour rankings are based on a rolling, 52-week system, using a player’s best results over the previous12 months.
Vince Carter out indefinitely with ankle injury
Vince Carter will be out of the lineup indefinitely after spraining his right ankle, the New Jersey Nets announced on Monday.
Cavs deny Ilgauskas permission to play in Beijing
The Cleveland Cavaliers have denied permission to Zydrunas Ilgauskas to play for his native Lithuania in the Beijing Olympics.
Sore Tiger survives first round at U.S. Open
Tiger Woods and the most photographed left knee in sports walked his first 18 holes of competitive golf in nine weeks Thursday at the U.S. Open.
Contact Us About Us HomeMonday, December 1st, 2008