Djoko replaces Nadal at No.1
9 July 2014 5:15 AM IST
Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic went back to the top of the world rankings on Monday while Andy Murray slipped to number 10, his lowest place for six years. The 27-year-old Serb replaced Rafael Nadal as the world’s top player following his five-set triumph over Roger Federer in Sunday’s final at the All England Club. It was Djokovic’s second Wimbledon and seventh Grand Slam title which also allowed him to book a place in the season-ending World Tour Finals in London. ‘It feels great not only to win Wimbledon again but also to return to No. 1 in the ATP rankings,’ said Djokovic as he starts his 102nd week in total on top of the pile.
‘I got to No. 1 for the first time in my career after winning Wimbledon in 2011 so it is nice to do it again here. I can’t wait to return to London to defend the ATP World Tour Finals title. I have had a good run there in the past two years.’ After finishing 2013 with four straight titles, Djokovic extended his winning streak to 28 straight matches before a loss to Stan Wawrinka in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
He won three Masters titles this year -- at Indian Wells, Miami and Rome -- and came up just short in his bid for a career Grand Slam, when he finished runner-up to Nadal at the French Open.
Federer returns to number three in the world but Britain’s Andy Murray, the deposed champion at Wimbledon, has slipped to number 10 from five, his lowest ranking since the eve of the 2008 Wimbledon tournament when he was at 11.
Entering the top 10 for the first time is Wimbledon semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov who is number nine and the first Bulgarian man to make the top bracket.
Australian 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios, who knocked Nadal out in the fourth round at Wimbledon, climbs from 144 to 78 while 2013 semi-finalist, Jerzy Janowicz of Poland dropped to 51 from 25 after a third-round defeat to Tommy Robredo.
Big four remain free of danger: Federer
London: Roger Federer insists he expects to challenge for Grand Slam titles for years to come despite his Wimbledon heartache because there is no serious threat from the next generation.
Federer fell agonisingly short of a record eighth Wimbledon title on Sunday as the Swiss star was beaten 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) 5-7, 6-4 by Novak Djokovic in one of the great All England Club finals. The 32-year-old’s defeat left him with his 2012 Wimbledon triumph as his only Grand Slam crown in his last 18 attempts. His last major success outside the grasscourt Grand Slam came at the 2010 Australian Open and by the time he returns to Wimbledon next year Federer will be almost 34.
Yet the 17-time Grand Slam champion is convinced his strong showing at Wimbledon proves he will continue to compete with Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray for the sport’s major prizes for the foreseeable future, especially while much-touted youngsters like Grigor Dimitrov, Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori continue to underachieve. ‘I don’t feel a huge threat from them. There’s many good players from 5 or 6 to 20. But they’re also somewhat exchangeable from 30 or 40,’ Federer said.
‘There’s a lot of dangerous players around there. But I feel like if I’m playing well I can control the field to a degree. ‘Clearly there’s never a guarantee. But I do believe the top guys are the ones we know and who are still going to be deciding outcomes of the bigger tournaments, like the Masters 1000s and the Grand Slams.’ Bulgaria’s Dimitrov, 23, and Canada’s Raonic, 23, made it to their first Grand Slam semi-finals at Wimbledon, but both came up short against Djokovic and Federer respectively.
‘I got to No. 1 for the first time in my career after winning Wimbledon in 2011 so it is nice to do it again here. I can’t wait to return to London to defend the ATP World Tour Finals title. I have had a good run there in the past two years.’ After finishing 2013 with four straight titles, Djokovic extended his winning streak to 28 straight matches before a loss to Stan Wawrinka in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
He won three Masters titles this year -- at Indian Wells, Miami and Rome -- and came up just short in his bid for a career Grand Slam, when he finished runner-up to Nadal at the French Open.
Federer returns to number three in the world but Britain’s Andy Murray, the deposed champion at Wimbledon, has slipped to number 10 from five, his lowest ranking since the eve of the 2008 Wimbledon tournament when he was at 11.
Entering the top 10 for the first time is Wimbledon semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov who is number nine and the first Bulgarian man to make the top bracket.
Australian 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios, who knocked Nadal out in the fourth round at Wimbledon, climbs from 144 to 78 while 2013 semi-finalist, Jerzy Janowicz of Poland dropped to 51 from 25 after a third-round defeat to Tommy Robredo.
Big four remain free of danger: Federer
London: Roger Federer insists he expects to challenge for Grand Slam titles for years to come despite his Wimbledon heartache because there is no serious threat from the next generation.
Federer fell agonisingly short of a record eighth Wimbledon title on Sunday as the Swiss star was beaten 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) 5-7, 6-4 by Novak Djokovic in one of the great All England Club finals. The 32-year-old’s defeat left him with his 2012 Wimbledon triumph as his only Grand Slam crown in his last 18 attempts. His last major success outside the grasscourt Grand Slam came at the 2010 Australian Open and by the time he returns to Wimbledon next year Federer will be almost 34.
Yet the 17-time Grand Slam champion is convinced his strong showing at Wimbledon proves he will continue to compete with Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray for the sport’s major prizes for the foreseeable future, especially while much-touted youngsters like Grigor Dimitrov, Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori continue to underachieve. ‘I don’t feel a huge threat from them. There’s many good players from 5 or 6 to 20. But they’re also somewhat exchangeable from 30 or 40,’ Federer said.
‘There’s a lot of dangerous players around there. But I feel like if I’m playing well I can control the field to a degree. ‘Clearly there’s never a guarantee. But I do believe the top guys are the ones we know and who are still going to be deciding outcomes of the bigger tournaments, like the Masters 1000s and the Grand Slams.’ Bulgaria’s Dimitrov, 23, and Canada’s Raonic, 23, made it to their first Grand Slam semi-finals at Wimbledon, but both came up short against Djokovic and Federer respectively.
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