ATP Rankings: Novak Djokovic counts to 250! Roger Federer is no. 3
Preparing for the start of Madrid 1000 event against Taylor Fritz on Tuesday, Novak Djokovic is celebrating the 250th week at the top of men's tennis, becoming the fifth player with that number of weeks as world no. 1 behind Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors. Despite three poor results at Masters 1000 series this year, Djokovic is still the leader of the pack, 3400 points clear of Rafael Nadal who failed to defend titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, desperately seeking good result in Madrid. Alexander Zverev is miles away from the form he showed in 2017 and 2018, losing the title in Munich and dropping out from the top-3 to clear the space for Roger Federer who is back behind Novak and Rafa for the first time since January.
This is the 295th week for Roger, Rafa and Novak in the top-3, almost 12 years after that happened for the first time in July 2007, another proof of their timeless class and longevity. Alexander Zverev is still safe in fourth although that should not last if he doesn't find form soon, having 2000 points to defend in the next five weeks to stay ahead of Dominic Thiem who also played well on clay 12 months ago. Kevin Anderson will skip the entire clay swing to rest his elbow and get back stronger on grass, leaving the door open for Kei Nishikori to pass him and enter the top-6.
Juan Martin del Potro should be back in action this week in Madrid for the first time since February, standing just 35 points ahead of Estoril champion Stefanos Tsitsipas who moved in front of John Isner who is skipping Madrid. There were no other changes in the top-20 and we should see them after the fourth Masters 1000 tournament of the season next Monday, with 1000 points separating the players ranked between the 11th and 20th position. Munich champion Christian Garin has gained 14 places on the list to crack the top-35, standing as the biggest mover in the top-100 together with Estoril runner-up Pablo Cuevas. Familiar faces Tomas Berdych, Ivo Karlovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are back inside the top-100 while the Italian Matteo Berrettini stands just outside the top-30 after reaching the final in Munich.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2VPHijI
No comments