Rafael Nadal is apparently determined to get back to the top of the Association of Tennis Players rankings, expressing his excitement in winning back-to-back Masters Series tournaments, keeping him in good position to snatch the world's no.1 ranking from rival Novak Djokovic.
Fresh from winning the Cincinnati and Montreal Masters titles, the 27-year-old Nadal was nothing but jubilant about his impressive accomplishments on the hard court despite skipping most of last year's action with a knee injury.
And Nadal, who now occupied the no.2 spot in the ATP Rankings, isn't through yet. With the U.S. Open Championships on the horizon, Nadal is out to collect as many points as he can without defending a single one.
"It means a lot, being able to win two straight titles, two Masters 1000 on hard back to back is just amazing for me. I never did something like this in all my career. So it was an emotional moment for so many different facts," Nadal told reporters right after winning a record 26th Masters title.
Nadal reiterated that fighting for the top spot in the rankings remains one of his top priorities heading into the final stretch of the tennis season.
"First of all, I won a very important tournament, Masters 1000. Second thing, after all the problems that I had, I mean, it was just two weeks in a row on hard playing at the highest level. Then the ranking is there. I was playing for a lot of points this week. And I'm in a good position," said Nadal, who already captured five Masters titles this season.
Less than a week from now, Nadal will hit the hard court again, but this time, he will gun for his second US Open Championship in Flushing Meadows.
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