After a record 237 consecutive weeks at No. 1, Roger Federer relinquished the top spot to Rafael Nadal on August 18, 2008. With a little over a month left in the season, Federer's streak of four consecutive year-end No. 1's is about to end as well. In Madrid, Nadal is two wins away from reaching the final and clinching the ATP year-end No. 1 ranking in the process.
Before the Madrid Masters, Rafa leads Roger by 1,070 ranking points: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p7B6JwEslHXonHQ96gFjbcQ
Even if Federer wins all of his remaining tournaments this year and Nadal loses in the finals at Madrid, loses his first match in Paris Masters, and doesn't win a match in Shanghai (Masters Cup), Nadal would still end up with a 75-point lead: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p7B6JwEslHXreysuXVWNDDg
Can Roger reclaim the top spot in 2009? Or can Rafa hold on to being world No. 1 until the end of next year? Suffice it to say that whoever dominates the Slams will be No. 1. The most exciting scenario is for the rivals to switch places several times next year.
What about the other two players in the so-called "Big 4"? Can either Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray step up in 2009 and be No. 2 or even No. 1? Now that will add even more fun to the Rafa-Roger rivalry many tennis fans have come to admire.
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