Change of Leaders
The ATP reign of Roger Federer that began far back in February of 2004 will end in two weeks. The next world No. 1 in tennis is Rafael Nadal of Spain. Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic will replace compatriot Anna Ivanovic August 11.
Roger Federer became the ATP king February 2, 2004 after he defeated Marat Safin in the final of Australian Open. His top ranking hasn’t been particularly challenged until recently. His dominance over the nearest claimants was two fold sometimes. Federer had 8,120 before this year’s Australian Open, while Nadal had just 4,525.
But Federer first yielded to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open semifinals, was traditionally overwhelmed by Nadal at Roland Garros final and faced the end of his five-year hegemony at Wimbledon. To the contrary, Nadal won seven competitions this year, including two Grand Slam tournaments.
The Spaniard finally booked his ATP leadership once he progressed to the semi-finals of Cincinnati Masters Friday, which Federer lost in the second round. The official coronation is staled for August 18.
In impression, the change of leader in women’s tennis isn’t of equal extent. Ana Ivanovic took top spot nine weeks ago and the gap between her and another Serb, Jelena Jankovic, wasn’t wide with each defeat implying the possible change of the leader. It happened in Montreal, where Ivanovic lost in the third round. Jankovic will become the world No. 1 August 11.
Russia’s Dinara Safina triumphed at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, where he defeated Dominika Cibulkova to get the third title of the year.
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All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 04, 2008
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