Djokovic closes in on Nadal’s top spot
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, May 20, 2014
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia sprays champagne to celebrate after winning the men's singles final match against Rafael Nadal of Spain at the Rome Masters on Sunday. With the victory, Djokovic closed within 650 points of world No. 1 Nadal in the latest ATP rankings. |
Serbia's Novak Djokovic closed within 650 points of world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the latest ATP rankings after defeating the Spaniard in the Sunday's Rome Masters final.
Canada's Milos Raonic, who pushed Djokovic to three sets in the semifinals, is the only mover amongst the top 10 as he replaces Kei Nishikori at No. 9 with the injured Japanese slipping to tenth.
Bulgaria's rising star Grigor Dimitrov, who was well beaten by Nadal in the last four at Rome, climbs two places to No. 12 as the circuit now heads to Paris and the French Open which begins on Sunday.
Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka, his Swiss compatriot Roger Federer and Spanish clay court specialist David Ferrer complete the top five.
On Sunday, Djokovic extended his recent dominance over Nadal by rallying for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory to win the Rome Masters for the third time — then dedicated the title to his flood-hit native Serbia by carving a heart on the clay with his racket.
"This heart on the court is for you," he told the fans in Italian during the victory celebration. "It's also a special dedication to my country, which is suffering a lot right now. My heart is with them."
Having also been beaten in Monte Carlo and Barcelona recently, it marked the first time in a decade that the top-ranked Nadal has lost more than two matches on clay in the same year.
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