Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal for 2013 year-end number one ranking

Discussions have started to swirl in the online tennis community regarding the year-end number one ranking. Who will end 2013 as the world number one tennis player? Will it be Novak Djokovic who swept the first quarter with wins at the Australian Open, Dubai and Monte Carlo. His most recent win was significant considering that he just ended Rafael Nadal‘s eight-year reign at this claycourt event.

However, it is a legitimate argument to point out that Nadal doesn’t have much points to defend after the Roland Garros tournament. It can be remembered that the Spaniard skipped the rest of the season after suffering a shocking second round loss at Wimbledon. Experts suggest that he will have enough time to recoup all lost points should he perform below par during the claycourt season.

Nadal has had a stellar 2013 season so far despite skipping the Australian Open. He won four out of the six events he had entered and finished runner up in those two events he lost.

Despite being fifth in the race so far behind Roger Federer, Andy Murray and David Ferrer, Nadal is in fact the strongest challenger for the year-end number one ranking. If the Spaniard performs real well from Wimbledon until the ATP World Tour Finals, he’s bound to overtake Djokovic in the rankings.