Cool Federer closes in on Nadal
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Roger Federer has closed the gap on Rafael Nadal at the top of the latest ATP world rankings released yesterday following his victory over the Spaniard at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.
Nadal remains well clear of Federer, but the Swiss maintains a chance of finishing the year as world No. 1 after shaving more than 400 points off his lead.
Federer claimed a surprisingly one-sided 6-4, 6-3 victory over the world No. 1 on Sunday to secure a 94th career title, drawing him level with Czech great Ivan Lendl. Only American Jimmy Connors (109) has won more trophies.
Meanwhile, Marin Cilic reached his best ever ranking of fourth after his run to the semifinals in Shanghai.
Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka, whose seasons are both over due to injury, each slip a place but Juan Martin Del Potro continued his climb up the rankings.
The Argentine rises four places to 19th, appearing in the top 20 for the first time in three years.
For the moment only Nadal, Federer, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem have confirmed their places at the end-of-season Masters in London next month.
And Federer is eyeing a seventh ATP Finals crown and has not ruled out pinching the world No. 1 ranking from Nadal if he maintains the form that won him his second Shanghai Masters trophy .
The 19-time grand slam winner is hungry for a first ATP Finals win since 2011. “London is my priority now and I really want to win the World Tour Finals,” the evergreen 36-year-old told Sky Sports. “I am very excited to have had the year that I have had and everything that comes from here is a bonus.
“Finishing the year as world No. 1 is a long shot, and I don’t think it will happen but if I play like this, who knows? Maybe I will get close again.”
The Swiss next headlines his home Basel International starting on October 21.
Also, Maria Sharapova has shot up the women’s world rankings following her victory in Tianjin on Sunday, rising 29 places to 57th in the latest WTA list.
The 30-year-old former world No. 1 triumphed 7-5, 7-6 (8) against teenager Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus to claim her first title since serving a 15-month doping ban.
Sharapova will hope to build on that victory this week in Moscow after being handed a wildcard for the Kremlin Cup. She takes on Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova in the opening round.
The top 10 remains unchanged, with Romania’s Simona Halep on top ahead of Spain’s Garbine Muguruza.
Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova climbs three places to 18th after beating Daria Gavrilova 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the Hong Kong Open final early yesterday.
Czech Barbora Strycova, winner of her second WTA Tour title in Linz on Sunday, climbs just one place to 25th.
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