Paris: Rafael Nadal’s climb one place to fourth in the world on the strength of his Madrid Masters win was confirmed in the latest ATP rankings released on Monday.
The Spaniard continued his flawless record on clay this season by beating Dominic Thiem to win the Madrid tournament for a fifth time 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 on Sunday.
The Spaniard is now 15-0 on his favoured surface this year having also picked up his 10th titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona in recent weeks.
Thiem’s reward for making the final was a two-place move to seventh.
Nadal was last ranked fourth in October last year. The highest mover of the week was Borna Coric, who jumped 18 places to 41st after his quarter-final appearance in the Spanish capital.
The Spaniard is now 15-0 on his favoured surface this year having also picked up his 10th titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona in recent weeks.
And the 14-time Grand Slam champion is now strong favourite to add a 10th French Open crown next month as he romped to victory on home soil for the loss of just one set all week.
“I am aware that if I am fit and I can play well, I have the capacity to win important titles and achieve my goals,” said Nadal.
Thiem also fell victim to Nadal’s supreme form in the final in Barcelona two weeks ago, but there was little for the 23-year-old to be dispirited about as he pushed Nadal all the way in his first Masters series final.
“Sometimes against the best players in the world, the best ever player on this surface, you even lose when you play well,” said Thiem, who also rises to a career high seventh in the rankings.
“Now that I did it once, playing really well in such a big tournament, the next step is to maintain this level next week.”
World No. 2 Novak Djokovic said he lost motivation after winning the French Open to complete a career grand slam last year, but now feels he is on the right path to rediscover his “mojo”.
The Serb, who split with his coaching team earlier this month, reached the semi-finals of the Madrid Open last week, where he lost to eventual champion Nadal.
“If I could describe my tennis in one word, I feel like I’m in transition,” Djokovic said in an interview posted on the ATP website. (www.atpworldtour.com) “After winning Roland Garros, I didn’t know how I was going to feel. I never had that issue after winning a big trophy, of bouncing back and finding new ways to motivate and inspire myself.
“But last year I found some emptiness for the first time in my life in terms of motivation. I needed a few months to think about things and get that mojo back on the court.”
