Johannesburg : Spanish tennis maestro Rafael Nadal, who is all set to make a return at this week’s Mexico Open after recovering from a thigh injury, has insisted that he is no longer concerned with the world rankings.
Last week, Nadal was dethroned by his long-time rival Roger Federer at the top of the ATP rankings, after the latter became the oldest player to claim the numero-uno spot en route to winning his 97th title at the Rotterdam Open title.
While a victory in Mexico would not be enough for Nadal to retain the pinnacle spot in the men’s rankings, the current world number two could replace Federer at Indian Wells or Miami next month.
“He didn’t need to return to No 1 to show who he is in tennis. What he’s achieved is very difficult and you can only congratulate him,” Sport24 quoted Nadal, as saying.
The 31-year-old admitted that his great rival Federer performed a bit better than him in last one year.
“Rankings don’t lie, he did a little bit better than me in the last 12 months,” he added.
Last week, Federer returned to the top of the ATP Rankings for his fourth stint at the pinnacle of men’s professional tennis, more than 14 years after he first became number one.