The US Open is another chance for these top guns, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer having played here, there and pretty much everywhere, but never at Flushing Meadows.
Should seedings hold true, Nadal and Federer will meet in the semi-finals of a stacked top half of the draw in the US open, the stakes will be enormous.
Not only will the winner have the chance to add to his massive tally of Grand Slam titles (Nadal has 15, second only to Federer’s 19), a blockbuster semi-final would determine which player will be World No. 1 on the Monday after the US Open.
Nadal reclaimed the top spot on 21 August when Andy Murray’s 41-week run ended.
Nadal and Federer find themselves in an immediate battle for the top spot and a longer-term battle for the coveted year-end No. 1 Emirates ATP Ranking, which is all but certain to be a two-man race.
Nadal said that he enjoys his top billing at the year’s final major and at the top of the rankings, an honour he won’t relinquish without a fight.
“Being the No. 1 seed and being No. 1 of the world again is good, of course,” he said.
“I think it’s a good achievement after three years of having some troubles. So I’m just happy for that.”
Federer said that he would relish a winner-takes-all semi-final battle with Nadal. “I’d love to play Rafa here in New York,” Federer said.
“Hopefully it will be a night session. Hopefully that would be a great atmosphere and one again where we play great like at the Australian Open.
I think that would be fun for everybody involved.”
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