Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will compete at the Cincinnati Open, where he can reclaim the top spot in the ATP rankings.

Nadal must first fulfill several requirements, though, to win the title. Both Nadal winning the 2022 Cincinnati Open and current No. 1 Daniil Medvedev losing before the quarterfinals are requirements that have to be met.

Nadal is scheduled to play in his first competitive match after having to withdraw from Wimbledon due to an abdominal tear. The second-seeded Spaniard’s opening encounter will be against Borna Coric, a native of Croatia.

On Wednesday, Nadal also expressed his joy at the prospect of playing in Cincinnati once more on his Instagram page.

“Very happy to play again in Cincy,” he said. “Flying there tomorrow.”

Well, Rafa has arrived in Cincinnati

( gustavogiussani Instagram) pic.twitter.com/Em6F4BRQSA

— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) August 12, 2022

Despite not competing in the events, Nadal did not lose any points in Canada, therefore he has no points to defend in the Cincinnati Open.

He is presently placed third with 5,620 points. It will be a little more challenging for Medvedev, who lost the Canadian Open championship earlier this year in the second round and currently has 6,885 points.

Alexander Zverev, who is placed between the two players, finished second with 6,760 points. The 25-year-old player is currently in the recovery stage after injuring himself during a match against Nadal in the Roland Garros semi-finals in June, making it tough for him to retain his number two status.

Battle for the second spot

According to tennismajors.com, Zverev will therefore remain the world number 2 in the ATP rankings if Nadal does not make it to the Cincinnati final in the Western and Southern Open. Other than that, he needs Alcaraz to lose the Cincinnati tournament.

As for Ruud, as long as he is also unable to reach the final and win the title in Cincinnati and Montreal tournaments, Zverev remains in second ranking.

With a few scenarios, tennismajors.com’s Chris Oddo is of the opinion that Nadal will also have the possibility to gain into the number two rankings if these conditions are met. First of all, it can be achieved if he wins Cincinnati and even if Medvedev advances at least to the quarterfinals.

Besides, Nadal’s potential achievement can be fulfilled by assuming Ruud does not complete the Montreal-Cincinnati double and if Nadal plays to the Cincinnati final.

Lastly, Nadal will reclaim the number two spot even if he loses in Cincinnati in the quarterfinals. However, it will only happen if Ruud does not make any title from Montreal or Cincinnati, and he does not reach the final of the other. Nadal also needs Alcaraz not to win the Cincinnati tournament.

Nadal has five times finished the season ranked first in the world, the most recent was in 2019. Throughout his career, he has spent a total of 209 weeks at the top of the list.

Alcaraz may also be in the running for the number two ranking if he wins Cincinnati and make sure Nadal is prevented from making it to the semifinals.

If Ruud wins the title in Montreal or Cincinnati and advances to the final of the other, he will also have the chance to claim the second-best player in the world ranking. He must, however, stop Nadal from reaching the Cincinnati semifinals and Alcaraz from bringing home the tournament’s champion trophy.

The post Rafael Nadal Joins Race to claim top ATP rankings in Cincinnati appeared first on Against The Spread Betting Information, News, Sportsbook Reviews - ATS.io.