Coach Carlos Moya on Rafael Nadal’s return date and the No 1 ranking

ATP Tour
Rafael Nadal in action

Carlos Moya says there is no deadline for Rafael Nadal’s return from injury while he also played down suggestions that retaining the No 1 ranking is one of his priorities.

World No 1 Nadal was forced to retire from US Open semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro due to a knee injury and has been on the sidelines ever since.

He has confirmed he will miss the Asian swing, including the Shanghai Masters, which stars on October 7.

Coach Moya insists the 32-year-old won’t rush back, but says they are hopeful that he will be ready to compete at the Paris Masters, which starts on October 29.

“We do not have deadlines, if everything goes well and everything is in order, we understand that he may be fine for Paris-Bercy,” he told Television Espanola.

“If it’s not Paris, it will be London and if not, then next year.”

With Nadal missing the Shanghai event, it means the race to finish the year as the No 1 player will go down to the wire as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are not too far behind.

The Spaniard leads the rankings with 8,760 points while Federer has 6,900 points and Djokovic 6,445.

When asked if the No 1 ranking is weighing on the 17-time Grand Slam winner’s mind, Moya replied: “Right now, no.

“A month or month and a half ago, probably yes, but when you have an injury the top priority is to recover from that injury.”

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