Number One Up or Grabs: Men
As the top players on the ATP Tour sweat it out in North America in advance of the Beijing Olympics and U.S. Open, the battle for the year-end Number One ranking is really heating up… For the first time in the past few years since Roger Federer has dominated the Tour, the top three men, i.e. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, all have a shot at the Number One ranking for 2008. Nadal is clearly looking very strong
after his consecutive Grand Slam titles at the French Open and Wimbledon followed up by his recent victory on hard courts at the Canadian Open. At the same time, Federer was less than impressive in losing his first match at the Canadian Open, but Roger still has a chance to redeem his year and retain his Number One ranking by winning the Gold Medal at the Beijing Olympics and his fifth consecutive title at the U.S. Open. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic holds one Grand Slam title in 2008, i.e. the Australian Open, and with a strong finish to the year at the Beijing Olympics, U.S. Open and fall tournaments, Djokovic could also lay claim to the Number One ranking. Pressure and opportunity will greet Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in the next few months and how each of them deals with it will answer the question of who deserves to be ranked Number One for 2008… whether the actual rankings reflect that or not!
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