Nadal closes the gap on Federer

Thanks to his first round exit at the Dubai Open, Roger Federer can now feel Rafael Nadal breathing down his neck in the world rankings.

The Swiss master has been World No.1 for a record 215 consecutive weeks, but now finds himself only 350 points ahead of the Spaniard. The last time another player got this close to him, it was Andy Roddick back in May 2004.

At only 26 years old, Federer of course still has time on his side, but the young pretenders (Nadal, Djockovic, Berdych and even Murray) are all beginning to close the gap.

However Federer will not be easily flustered. Indian Wells is the next Masters Series event, where Nadal is the defending champion. Whilst this may mean he likes the courts, it also means that he has points to defend.

The ATP ranking system means that as Nadal won Indian Wells last year (earning him 500 points) he now needs to win it again otherwise he will drop points. For Federer however, who went out in the first round last year (only 5 points gained), he has nothing to lose and can only gain points.

For all the talk of Federer’s fading powers, it would come as no surprise if he were to win Indian Wells, and to finish another year as World No.1, with the youngsters still in his slipstream.