The current champion of Roland Garros and the Australian Open will seek his third Grand Slam of the year in the United States
Rafael Nadal he has not lost at a Grand Slam so far this year and only an injury before the Wimbledon semi-finals could have stopped him. However, as he has shown in the first game in Cincinnati, not fully recovered and he still has to return to his maximum level. A situation that could take advantage of it Carlos Alcaraz to surpass him in the ATP ranking.
this was fair what Rafa Nadal expected from his participation in the North American tournament, where he arrived with totally different expectations. Or at least that’s what they expected of him. But the man from Manacor has been calm at all times, going so far as to ensure that I knew that I was not going to return to a spectacular level.
Rafa Nadal was left without number 1 in Cincinnati
The days before the start of the tournament there was a lot of talk about the possibility of Rafa Nadal becoming number 1 in the world again. It was not an easy goal, because he needed a series of conditions that were practically impossible. And so he has been shown in the first round of Cincinnati.
To regain the throne of world tennis, Rafa Nadal needed to lift the trophy and also that Medvedev did not even reach the quarterfinals. As we know, these conditions did not occur, as the Spaniard ended up losing to Croatian Coric. But not all the problems have ended here, as they could go further.
Alcaraz threatens Rafa Nadal’s ATP ranking
The one who did win his match was Carlos Alcaraz, who after a bad run of results takes flight again. He is currently ranked number 4, after Medvedev, Zverev and Nadal. But he could move up several places if he manages to take the victory in Cincinnati. Something that at the moment, due to his level, does not seem unreasonable.
In case of success, knowing that Rafa Nadal has lost and that Zverev is still injured, Carlos Alcaraz could be placed as number 2 in the world with only 19 years. Ahead would only have Medvedev, who will remain number 1 in the world no matter what happens. However, when the US Open ends, we could have two Spaniards among the three best tennis players in the world.