Nobody in the history of the sport has waited longer than Rafael Nadal to make the tantalising final stride from being second in the world to being officially regarded as the best player on the planet. The powerful Spaniard will, barring a remarkable collapse in his current all-conquering form, take that crown some time in the next few weeks.
It will be rich reward for patience and dedication as understudy to the imperious Roger Federer. While Federer has reigned supreme at the top of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings for 235 successive weeks since February 2004, Nadal has occupied second spot for most of that time - 158 long weeks. There is a chance that Nadal's long wait will end in Cincinnati this week when the two rivals are again at opposite ends of the draw for the latest Masters Series event.
For that to happen Nadal, who extended his current winning streak to 29 matches by beating Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 6-2 in a routine final of the Toronto Masters on Sunday, would have to win his sixth successive tournament and Federer, who won the event 12 months ago, would have to lose in the semi- finals or earlier. With Federer's confidence shaken by an early departure from Toronto, such a scenario is not out of the question but even a resurgence of form by the the Swiss maestro in what remains of the North American hardcourt season is unlikely to repair the damage sustained in an alarmingly unproductive first half of the year.
Federer, whose lead at the top of the rankings was reduced when Nadal deposed him as Wimbledon champion after a magnificent five-set final at the All England Club in London three weeks ago, now has only 300 points to spare over his relentless pursuer. The Swiss maestro is aware that under the ranking system he can only tread water over the next month by defending the points he earned by winning Cincinnati and the US Open as Nadal, who lost early in both of those tournaments, is almost certain to pick up extra points.
The big imponderable is the Olympic title in Beijing which not only offers the rarity of a gold medal as a diversion from the treadmill of the ATP tour, but also carries ranking points. Both Federer and Nadal will head to China for the Games. The key is how seriously they take a tournament that involves travelling to the other side of the world at a time when preparations for the US Open at Flushing Meadows are normally at their most intense.
Federer, who needs only an Olympic gold and an increasingly unlikely French Open title to complete his clean sweep of all the top honours in his sport, may go all out for glory in Beijing, knowing that he is powerless to prevent Nadal from knocking him off his rankings perch. Nadal, who at 22 has plenty of time in hand before needing to focus on Olympic glory, may be better advised to put in only a token appearance before seeking to capture his first US Open and his third grand slam title of the year.
The way he is playing at the moment he could win in Beijing and New York, where he is an outstanding tip to triumph in the final on Sept 7 and set himself up for a grand slam of slams at the Australian Open in January. Federer gave a hint of the way he is thinking after arriving early in Cincinnati to prepare for the tournament in which he and the rest of the top eight seeds were exempt from yesterday's first round line-up.
"I'm not focused on Rafa, he's on the other side of the draw," he said. "Of course he's been playing great and is on an unbelievable winning streak. What he has been doing lately is terrific. "I focus on the big picture, prepare well and try not to go crazy over the ranking. "I know there's a lot of talk about it now, and Rafa does deserve the credit. I just hope to get in a hardcourt roll this week and be in great shape for the Olympics."
Speaking after becoming the third youngest player after Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors to notch 30 career titles Nadal remained, as always, respectful to the outstanding role model of Federer. "If I am No 2 it's because in front of me there is amazing player like Roger," he said. "Every player wants to be No 1. I would love to be. But I'm No 2 now and I'm very happy about that." Nadal, again has Novak Djokovic, the world No 3, in his half of the draw this week. Britain's Andy Murray, who defeated Djokovic in the quarter-finals in Toronto before losing to Nadal in the semi-finals, is this time in Federer's half along with the top-ranked American Andy Roddick, holder of the Dubai championship.
