NADAL CLOSING FAST ON RANKINGS TOP SPOT

RAFA NADAL and Andy Murray face a showdown for the world No.1 spot if they clash in the Wimbledon semi-finals next week.

The Scot has been the top-ranked player for the last 34 weeks since overtaking Novak Djokovic by winning the Paris Masters.

But his first-round loss at the Aegon Championships last week, where he was defending champion, saw his lead cut to 2,105 points. And the British No.1 will now lose the 2,000 points he gained for winning Wimbledon last year, effectively reducing his lead over the Spaniard to only 105 points.

French Open champion Nadal, who missed the end of last season with injury, has slowly caught up with Murray by winning 24 of his last 25 matches while claiming four clay-court titles.

He pulled out of Roland Garros with a wrist injury last year and missed Wimbledon and does not have any points to defend until mid-August. Murray and Nadal are seeded to meet in the last four on Friday week.

Stan Wawrinka can top the rankings for the first time by winning Wimbledon, while Novak Djokovic needs to win his fourth title here and have other results go his way. World No.5 Roger Federer, who has played only 26 matches this year, cannot get back to No.1 here.

Murray said: “I think the No.1 certainly could add to the pressure, maybe potentially more towards the end of the event, if there’s maybe match-ups that really influence it.

“I’m not thinking about that right now. That’s not what my focus is.”