The life of an ATP World Tour player can become pretty routine. Wake up. Eat. Practise. Eat. Stretch. Workout. Toss in a match here and there, and you have the life of a player when he’s competing at a tournament.

But on Monday at the Winston-Salem Open, players were happy to welcome a historic distraction to their daily routine: the eclipse. Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was close to the path of the total solar eclipse, which cut through the continental U.S., from Oregon on the west coast to South Carolina on the east coast, and players, with the help of tournament officials, made sure to take in the once-in-a-100-year phenomenon.

They wore special eclipse glasses and stared into the sky, gawking at the moon’s ability to shield the sun. Tournament officials purchased about 200 sets of special eclipse glasses so players, ball kids and officials could safely view the event.

“It’s cool. It’s something you don’t get to see every day, with barely seeing any of the sun. We only had 95 per cent coverage of the sun, and it’s crazy how much, with five per cent showing, can still brighten the day,” said Steve Johnson.

The American watched the eclipse from the tournament’s centre court, along with other players and ATP World Tour Executive Chairman & President Chris Kermode and ATP World Tour Chief Player Officer Ross Hutchins.

Eclipse photo credit: Bryan Pollard

“You get a chance to be a part of history. You’ll always know where you were when you saw the eclipse in 2017 here at the tournament,” Johnson said. “Hopefully everybody enjoyed it and was safe.”

Monday marked the first time since 1918 that a total solar eclipse has gone coast to coast in the U.S.

“It was a special moment,” said Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who remembered wearing eclipse glasses when he was a child in Europe. “If it happens once in 100 years, it’s just amazing to be a part of, to live this.”

“It was a great experience,” said Joao Sousa of Portugal. “I think being a part of this activity here at the tournament, it’s a moment of history… I’m not sure the next time I will have the chance to see this in my life. I hope it’s not my last one but as I said, it was a great experience and I really enjoyed it.”

The tournament warned players of the eclipse ahead of time, posting a “WSO Eclipse Day” notice in the players lounge. “Dear Players & Guests: Today there will be a solar eclipse lasting from 1:12PM – 4:03PM. During this time when the sun’s natural light is blocked, all courts will have the lights turned on…”

Almost everyone participated in the event, even Donald Young and Rogerio Dutra Silva, who took the court at 3 p.m. for their first-round match.

“We’re happy,” said Andre Sa. “Something different about our day. Gets you out of your comfort zone… It was nice show by nature. We loved it.”

No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov, +2
The Bulgarian broke back into the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings on the back of capturing the biggest title of his career, the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati (d. Kyrgios), an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. Dimitrov first spent 15 weeks in the Top 10 starting on 7 July 2014, one further week in February 2015 and two weeks in July this year. He is at his highest position since the week beginning 25 August 2014 (at No. 8). Read Report & Watch Highlights

The 26-year-old Dimitrov also moved up three spots to No. 6 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, which determines the eight players who qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 12-19 November at The O2 in London. Dimitrov has never played at the prestigious season-ending tournament.

No. 1 Rafael Nadal, +1
Almost nine years to the day since he first became No. 1, the Spaniard today returned to the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings for his fourth stint at the pinnacle of men’s professional tennis. Nadal, who has already spent 141 total weeks at No. 1, replaces Great Britain’s Andy Murray, who had held the top spot for 41 weeks since 7 November 2016. Nadal, who first ascended to No. 1 on 18 August 2008 at the age of 22, last held top spot three years and 45 days ago on 6 July 2014. Read & Watch Tributes

No. 14 John Isner, +5
The giant American reached his ninth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final (or better) in Cincinnati (l. to Dimitrov), beating Viktor Troicki and three #NextGenATP compatriots – Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Jared Donaldson – along the way. In rising five spots to No. 14, Isner is up to his highest ranking since being No. 13 on 21 March 2016. This week he competes at the Winston-Salem Open, where he captured the 2011 and 2012 titles.

No. 18 Nick Kyrgios, +5
The Australian played with great control to beat David Goffin, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Ivo Karlovic, Nadal and David Ferrer en route to his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final – the fifth title match of his career (3-2 record) – in Mason, Ohio. He remains five spots short of his career-high of No. 13 on 24 October 2016.

No. 25 David Ferrer, +6
The 35-year-old Spaniard continues a career resurgence by moving back to his highest position since 6 February 2017, having fallen to Kyrgios in the Cincinnati semi-finals. With a 12-3 record since Wimbledon, including his 27th ATP World Tour crown at the SkiStar Swedish Open in Bastad, former World No. 3 Ferrer is one to watch through to the end of the season.

Other Top 100 Movers This Week
No. 38 Ivo Karlovic, +6
No. 51 Jared Donaldson, +9
No. 60 Nikoloz Basilashvili, +5
No. 63 Alexandr Dolgopolov, +8
No. 67 Damir Dzumhur, +6
No. 71 Frances Tiafoe, +16
No. 90 Victor Estrella Burgos, +22
No. 99 Laslo Djere, +9

Almost nine years to the day since he first became No. 1, Spain’s Rafael Nadal today returned to the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings for his fourth stint at the pinnacle of men’s professional tennis. Nadal, who has already spent 141 total weeks at No. 1, replaces Great Britain’s Andy Murray, who had held the top spot for 41 weeks since 7 November 2016.

Nadal, who first ascended to No. 1 on 18 August 2008 at the age of 22, last held top spot three years and 45 days ago on 6 July 2014. The Spaniard will now look to stay ahead of his great Swiss rival Roger Federer and finish atop the year-end Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since 2013 and for the fourth time in his career (2008, 2010, 2013).

“Being No. 1 after all the things that I have been going through the last couple of years is something unbelievable, so [it] is, for me, an amazing achievement to be back to that position after [a] few years, three years,” said Nadal.

View Latest Emirates ATP Rankings

The 31-year-old Nadal has spent three previous stints at No. 1 – 46 weeks between 18 August 2008 and 5 July 2009, 56 weeks from 7 June 2010 to 3 July 2011 and 39 weeks between 7 October 2013 and 6 July 2014. He holds the record for the longest gap – nine years and three days – between his debut at No. 1 and his return today, which betters the previous mark of American Jimmy Connors, who was first No. 1 on 29 July 1974 and last at No. 1 on 3 July 1983 – a gap of eight years and 339 days.

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman and President, said, “To regain the No. 1 ranking nine years after having first reached it is unprecedented. Rafa has been setting records throughout his remarkable career and this one is as impressive as any. It shows incredible dedication and longevity, and we congratulate him on this amazing achievement.”

The Spanish superstar, who ended the 2016 season early due to a wrist injury, has returned in 2017 playing some of the best tennis of his career. In compiling an ATP World Tour-best 49-9 match record, Nadal has captured four trophies this season, including historic 10th titles at Roland Garros (d. Wawrinka), the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (d. Ramos-Vinolas) and the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (d. Thiem), in addition to a fifth crown at the Mutua Madrid Open (d. Thiem). He has also reached three other finals – the Australian Open (l. to Federer), Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco (l. to Querrey) and the Miami Open presented by Itau (l. to Federer).

On 12 June, Nadal became the first player to qualify for the 2017 season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November. It is the 13th straight year that he has qualified for the elite eight-player tournament.

THE NUMBER ONES
A list in chronological order of the 26 players who have ranked No. 1 in the history of the Emirates ATP Rankings (since 1973):

Francisco Roig, one of Rafael Nadal’s coaches since 2005, was next to the Majorcan when the player knew he was going to become World No. 1 again. The Catalan coach, who has been alongside Nadal for the entire US Open Series, thinks that this achievement will be an extra boost for the Spaniard, a reward for his hard work and dedication.

“Being World No. 1 is a consequence of good results,” said Roig to ATPWorldTour.com in Cincinnati. “Since January, Nadal has had a spectacular year. He is very happy and ready to give his best at the US Open. Being No. 1 also means that he is playing great again, winning important matches and especially important tournaments. In some ways, this is the most important goal. Getting back to the top shows how good Rafa is, but also how long and successful his career has been.”

At 31 years old, Nadal has reclaimed the top spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings and the return to the pinnacle of the game has a particularly great significance after two difficult years.

“That’s because Nadal is a very good player”, Roig continued. “When he starts to find his rhythm and feels he can execute what he practises, then he is always competing for the biggest titles. Obviously the rest of the field might not be at their best but this also happened the other way around when Rafa lost the World No. 1 position a few years ago. It has been a long, long journey. And everybody who was beside him during a tough period knew that he would come back to the top. That he would be No. 1 again. That he would fight again for big titles and Grand Slams. If you fight for those titles, you are also fighting for the World No. 1.”

Over the last eight months of the 2017 season, Nadal has won four titles, including his 10th Roland Garros crown, two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (Monte-Carlo and Madrid) and the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Those trophies, plus good results in other tournaments (Australian Open, Acapulco and Miami finals) have lifted him to the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings once more.

“If we are especially happy, it is because we know that Rafa has been through a lot, that he has worked tremendously hard and also he has suffered a lot,” Roig admitted. “It is not an easy task to be here at age 31 and for sure it will be a confidence boost.

“Rafa now has his top level. He doesn’t have the fears of other seasons. In the past, you could see that the opponent could come out on court knowing that Nadal had lost a few more matches, and that would convince him he could win. But once you start winning more and more matches, it helps your confidence but also helps to intimidate your opponent a little bit. That shows you once more how good he is. Since 2005, he has been nine times in the Top 2, never left the Top 10 and he missed the No. 1 spot only a couple times because of an injury. He is great like Federer or Djokovic in that it will be difficult to see something like this again. Winning so many Slams, Masters 1000s… At the end, a Masters 1000 is way more difficult than a major. And he has 15 Slams!”

Now, with the US Open fast approaching, Nadal will keep the top spot for at least three weeks, although he knows that whatever happens in New York could be decisive for the year-end top position.

“The US Open will set the tone for the No. 1 race,” said Roig. “It’s 2000 points and logically it’s a big bite. If after the US Open they are close, history says that Federer is the favourite in the last part of the season. It won’t be easy, but I see Rafa is capable. The most important thing is that he keeps the desire, the drive and the passion. We are talking about one of the greatest in history.”

Of course, being World No. 1 during the season is not the same as finishing the year in that position. The year-end No. 1 is something that Nadal has already achieved three times (2008, 2010 and 2013), but the goal is to claim it once again.

“It’s always important to finish the year as World No. 1 because it means that you have been the most consistent and regular player from January until November,” Roig added. “That’s the aim: to win the US Open and finish at the top at the end of the season.”

A LOOK BACK

Acqua Dolomia Tennis Cup (Cordenons, Italy): Swedish 21-year-old Elias Ymer secured his third Challenger title with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Roberto Carballes Baena in Cordenons. It was the third straight week a #NextGenATP player had won a Challenger title with Michael Mmoh in Lexington, Alexander Bublik in Aptos and now Ymer in Cordenons all triumphing. Ymer had fallen to No. 293 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, but continued his resurgence and did not drop a set all week.

Odlum Brown VanOpen (Vancouver, Canada): After being sidelined for nearly three years due to hip surgery and other injuries, German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe claimed his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the season in Vancouver on Sunday. A former No. 71 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Stebe routed Australia’s Jordan Thompson 6-0, 6-1 in the 54-minute final, the second fastest decider of 2017. It marked the return of the hugely popular $100,000 Vancouver Challenger event after a one-year hiatus. Second seed Thompson was bidding for his fifth Challenger title and first of the year. The 26 year old Stebe was ranked outside the Top 500 a year ago and will close in on a return to the Top 100 at No. 106. Read More: Fast Cars And World-Class Tennis In Vancouver.

Milex Open 2017 (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic): There were huge celebrations in the Dominican Republic on Saturday when 37-year-old local Victor Estrella Burgos defeated 2015 champion Damir Dzhumur in Santo Domingo. It was his seventh ATP Challenger Tour title and first in more than two years. It also meant the first home-grown winner at the $125,000 Challenger event and the oldest titlist on the circuit this year. Estrella Burgos claimed the title with a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over the top seed, before an exuberant and passionate crowd at the Santo Domingo Tenis Club. Learn More About The Milex Open and home favourite Estrella Burgos. 

Bucher Reisen Tennis Grand Prix (Meerbusch, Germany): Spaniard Ricardo Ojeda Lara had just five ATP Challenger match wins in his career until the Meerbusch final. His 6-4, 6-3 defeat of Austrian Andreas Hairder-Maurer landed him a maiden Challenger tile and made him a tour-leading sixth different Spanish winner on the tour this year, joining Adrian Menendez-Maceiras, Nicola Kuhn, Jaume Munar, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Roberto Carballes Baena.

Congrats @RikiOjeda on a first #ATPChallenger ?! Ojeda Lara defeats Andreas Haider-Maurer 64 63 for the title in Meerbusch, Germany. pic.twitter.com/jUVNY8b3Rs

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) August 20, 2017

A LOOK AHEAD

The Antonio Savoldi–Marco Cò – Trofeo Dimmidisì in Mangerbio, Italy is the sole Challenger event to take place this week. The $50,000 clay-court event has been staged since 1999 with David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro among the past champions. This year, Spanish former World No. 23, Guillermo Garcia Lopez is the top seed with Czech Adam Pavlasek seeded second. Garcia Lopez’s countryman, former World No. 5 Tommy Robredo, has also entered while Challenger title winners from the weekend – Elias Ymer and Ricardo Ojeda Lara – will look to make it back-to-back triumphs.

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ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: The ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallenger at twitter.com/ATPChallenger

He was 15 years old, but already had the trademark spirit that brought him all the way to the World No. 1 position where he stands today. It was a Monday, the 17th of September in 2001. The clay of the Real Club de Tenis Betis was burning early in the morning. An unranked youngster, who was already touted to carry an enormous potential, was about to debut at an ATP Challenger Tour event, in search of his first point in the Emirates ATP Rankings. His name was Rafael Nadal.

“Who’s your opponent?”
“A wildcard… Rafael Nadal.”
“Oh! That guy plays well, but he’s really young.”

This conversation is remembered by Israel Matos Gil, Rafa’s opponent in the first round, a qualifier and No. 751 in the Emirates ATP Rankings back then. Right after the draw ceremony, his fellow players warned him about a danger that he had already seen himself some days before.

Read more stories in our Rafa Returns To No. 1 tribute…
Rafael Nadal: The Humble Champion
Coach Roig: ‘Rafa Has Been Through A Lot’
Peers Pay Tribute To Rafa

“I heard that a Spanish player was doing really well for his age. However, I saw him play his first ITF Futures event in Madrid against one of my practice pals, Guillermo Platel. After having many match points, Rafa didn’t get the victory but he didn’t lose his temper on court either,” Israel reflects.

“The next day, when we arrived at the club at eight in the morning, Rafa was already training. It shocked me how a guy who had lost such a tough match the day before could be the first to appear on the practice court. That made me think: I have to follow this guy.”

The sport gave Matos Gil the chance to see the magnitude of such a phenomenon the very next week in Seville. Just a game was enough for him to understand that the precocious 15 year old on the other side of the net, who was receiving compliments all the time, had a special talent.

“His demeanor on court was simply incredible. His look, his character. How a kid of his age was able to see the things with that clarity on court. How he was able to behave like an adult, as if he was used to playing those kinds of tournaments for years.”

Brave and without signs of fear, he started breaking his opponent’s serve.

“He broke me and immediately celebrated it with his trademark move, lifting his fist and his knee”. That was pure Nadal. Passion and determination together, with victory as its only destiny. There were some dramatic, tense moments. But in those pivotal points he always knew how to play. That was not usual. There were really good guys of his age, but he was a different player.”

6-4, 6-4. The score was decided in Rafa’s favour, giving him his first five points in the Emirates ATP Rankings. “Back then, Rafa didn’t have such an aggressive game, but his movement was excellent. He made you compete for every single ball and didn’t give free points,” describes Matos. “His tennis has evolved into a more offensive version, but at the beginning he was able to win rallies by out-running his opponents. He could chase down 10-12 balls, ready to keep playing until the other player was exhausted.”

The difference was made not only by his game, but also by his stature on the court. “If we talk about his presence on court, he was a 15-year-old guy who behaved like a 20 year old. It seemed that he had much more experience than he really had. I played, I lost and I immediately knew he would do big things”, said his opponent on the Andalusian clay, who vividly remembers the handshake at the net. “I told him I was surprised by his game. I was obviously disappointed but it wasn’t the usual anger. I had just lost against a young player who had a special demeanor on court. I congratulated him as I did with very few people after a defeat.”

Rafa’s run ended in the second round. Italy’s Stefano Galvani, crowned champion some days later, saw how the Majorcan was the only player able to get a set from him during that week. “Since a very young age he showed special details in such a demanding sport, where physical, mental, technical and tactical acumen are needed to succeed. Seeing how he dominated the mental side and how he kept his emotions under control was astounding”, added Matos, a privileged witness the day that Rafa won his first Emirates ATP Rankings point.