Nadal misses chance to become world No.1 after Rogers Cup defeat

World no. 2 Tennis star, Rafael Nadal, failed to move up to the no. 1 spot in the ATP ranking after a third round defeat to Denis Shapovalov at the Canadian Open on Friday.

The Spaniard was set to replace Andy Murray at the top of the rankings should he reach the semi-finals of the ongoing Rogers Cup.

But his defeat means Murray hangs on to the summit one more week until the Cincinnati Masters, where Nadal or Roger Federer will overtake him.

Speaking after the 3-6 6-4 7-6 (6-4) upset, Nadal said: ‘It’s my worst loss of the year because it’s my loss to the opponent with the lowest ranking and because I had the chance to be world number one.

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“Denis played well, he has great potential and I wish him all the best.

“He has everything to become a great player. He played with the right determination in the important moments.”

18-year-old Canadian, Shapovalov was almost caught speechless after the biggest win of his career. The teenager said after the victory:

“This is what I’ve dreamed of all my life growing up, playing guys like Rafa, Roger, Andy.

“You know, my dream came true today.”

 

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