Roger Federer has shrugged off the impending danger posed by Rafael Nadal's seemingly unstoppable march towards his world number one spot. "I feel good, I'm focussed," said the Swiss, who has been number one since February 2004 and who defends his Cincinnati Masters title this week.
"I'm not focussed on Rafa, he's on the other side of the draw. Of course he's been playing great and is on an unbelievable winning streak." Nadal claimed a seventh title this season on Sunday as he defeated Nicolas Kiefer in straight sets for the Toronto Masters trophy. "We're back on hardcourt again and it's hard to keep winning. But what he's doing is terrific," said Federer.
The world number one said that fighting off Nadal cannot produce any more stress than a Wimbledon final, where he won five titles in succession before falling to his Spanish rival in an epic five-set final earlier this month.
Nadal comes into Cincinnati just 300 points behind Federer who was beaten in his opening match in Toronto by Frenchman Gilles Simon. The Spaniard has been ranked number two for a record 157 weeks and will take over at the top next Sunday if he wins the titleand Federer, on top for 234 weeks, loses before the semi-finals. It was his 12th Masters trophy and came in a season where the 22-year-old has collected a fourth Roland Garros and a first Wimbledon title.
Comments
Comments are closed.