By Chris Oddo | Monday August 28, 2017
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will battle for the No.1 ranking in New York, and if the draw holds and they meet in the U.S. Open semifinals, the winner will finish the U.S. Open as the ATP’s top-ranked player.
More: Everybody Wants Nadal-Federer Semifinal in New York--Except Nadal
Here are the current point scenarios for Federer and Nadal ahead of the U.S. Open. Nadal enters with a 500-point lead in the rankings but he is defending round of 16 points while Federer has no points to defend. That means that Federer can surpass Nadal, but he’ll have to outperform him in New York to do so (the below tweet has already subtracted Nadal's 2016 points to reflect he current scenario).
If Nadal loses his first match, Federer would need to reach the quarterfinals. If Nadal does not get past the second round, Federer would need to reach the semifinals.
If the pair meet in the semifinals, the winner would not only reach the final but also become World No.1 the following week. Nadal is into his 143rd week at No.1 this week after taking the top spot over last Monday. Federer has held No.1 for 302 weeks. If he climbs to the top spot Federer would be the oldest World No. 1 since rankings were established in 1973. The four years and 310 days between Nov. 4, 2012 and Sept. 11, 2017 would be the longest gap between stints at No. 1.
Both Federer and Nadal begin their bid for the U.S. Open title on Tuesday in New York.