ATP rankings: Rafael Nadal retains World No. 1 spot, Ernests Gulbis makes top 10 debut

Madrid, June 9 (IANS/EFE): Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal maintained his lead in the ATP rankings Monday, with 12,500 points, after grabbing his ninth French Open title Sunday.

Nadal defeated Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, who also maintained his second place, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 in the final, reports EFE. Djokovic now has 12,330 points and trails Nadal by only 170 points. He had a chance to usurp the top spot from Nadal; a win by him yesterday would have resulted in him being the new World No. 1. Unfortunately for the Serb though, that chance went begging.

Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka continues to occupy third position, while compatriot Roger Federer maintains his hold on the No. 4 rank.

Meanwhile, surprise semifinalist Ernests Gulbis has made his top 10 debut, climbing up to No. 10 with 2,725 points. Scotland’s Andy Murray has also made a big move, moving up from No. 8 to No. 5 on the back of his semifinal run at Roland Garros. Murray had skipped the tournament due to injury last year, so he was able to earn plenty of points with his result here.