Rafael Nadal has the most wins against World No. 1s on the ATP tour
Rafael Nadal holds some of the most unique records in tennis history, but one area where the Spaniard hasn't dominated the sport is with regards to the World No. 1 position. The 21-time Grand Slam champion has held the spot for a total of 209 weeks, putting him sixth on the all-time list behind djokovic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors.
However, the Mallorcan has made ample use of that particular shortcoming to serve a purpose. The 35-year-old has beaten the No. 1-ranked player 22 times till date, making him the player with the most wins over World No. 1s.
most wins vs world #1
nadal 22
becker 19
djokovic 14
lendl 13
murray 12 https://t.co/0cfm5nuWoR
Interestingly, the Spaniard has defeated only Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to achieve the feat, vanquishing the Swiss 13 times and the Serb nine times when they were at the top of the rankings.
Of the 13 wins against the Swiss 20-time Grand Slam champion, 11 have come in tournament finals (four in Grand Slams), one in a semifinal (2005 Roland Garros) and one in the third round (2004 Miami Masters).
Against Djokovic, seven of the nine wins have come in tournament finals (three in Grand Slams) and two in the semifinals (one in a Grand Slam).
Boris Becker is next on the list of most wins against World No. 1s (19), followed by Novak Djokovic (14) and Lendl (13). Among other active players, Andy Murray has 12 wins, while Federer has 10.
Nadal has also lost 19 matches against top-ranked players, all of them against Federer (six times) and Djokovic (13 times).
The Spaniard is tied for second spot on the all-time list for most matches played against No. 1-ranked players, alongside Andy Murray on 41. Only Jimmy Connors has faced off more often (43) against top-ranked players.
Rafael Nadal's doctor hopes Spaniard can return in four weeks
Rafael Nadal was originally projected to be on the sidelines for the next 4-6 weeks due to a stress fracture in his ribs. The former World No. 1 sustained the injury during his semi-final clash against teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells and further exacerbated it in the final against Taylor Fritz.
Al final resulta que tengo una fisura por estrés en una de las costillas y estaré entre 4 y 6 semanas de baja. No son buenas noticias y no me esperaba esto. Estoy hundido y triste porque tras el inicio de temporada que he tenido tan buena.
However, recent updates from the Mallorcan's doctor suggest that there is a decent chance his layoff period could be reduced. While Dr. Angel Ruiz-Cotorro admitted that the 4-6 weeks is a "logical" estimate and that the priority for the moment was to reduce the pain, he was cautiously optimistic about shortening the layoff.
"For now, the priority is to remove the pain. Once the pain's removed we'll be working as much as we can," he said. "With this in mind & the evolution it has, we'll see if we can shorten the time. [But] 4-6 weeks is quite logical."
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