What if Rafael Nadal came to annoy Novak Djokovic in his quest for Roger Federer’s record, with 310 weeks, to become the player who spent the most weeks as world number 1? If the figures are to be believed, the Spaniard could well become world number 1 if he wins the Australian Open and wins the ATP 500 in Rotterdam a few weeks later (from 1is to March 7).
Recently, the Spaniard announced his participation in the Dutch tournament after 12 years of absence. A presence mainly due to the cancellation of the Indian Wells tournament initially scheduled for March 11 to 21 as he explained to ESPN Argentina while defending himself from going there for the ATP throne: “I swear I didn’t know I could be world number 1 in Rotterdam. The truth is that years ago I would have thought of something like this but for some time I have always said the same thing, for me the goal of being number 1 is not related to the tournaments that I am planning . If the results are good and I’m number 1 in the world, I’ll be happy, but I’m playing in Rotterdam because the Indian Wells tournament is canceled, not for anything else. “
Either way, the Mallorcan could play a very ugly trick on the Serbian if he became world number 1 on March 8, precisely the day Djokovic could become the sole record holder for weeks spent on the throne of the ATP with 311 weeks.
Posted on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at 6:46 PM
—
