This season, the men's tour has really revolved around Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Barring injuries, they will battle for the No. 1 ranking by the time the US Open comes around, and it’s almost a guarantee that one of the legendary rivals will be the year-end No. 1.
Nadal has the advantage for now. He racked up 4,500 points in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid and Roland Garros while Federer was taking a break. Despite his three losses to the Swiss this year, including the Australian Open final, Nadal (7,465) trails Murray (7,750) by only 285 points and leads Federer (6,545) by 920 points.
Had Nadal really wanted the No. 1 ranking as soon as possible, he could have entered Hamburg. Just making the final would have been enough to pass Murray and extend his lead over Federer. Instead, it looks like the US Open series will give Nadal the chance to squeeze in a few weeks at No. 1—if he plays well.