World number one Roger Federer has shrugged off the challenge to his status posed by the in-form Rafael Nadal.
Swiss star "focused" as status challenged
Ahead of the Cincinnati Masters, world number one Roger Federer has shrugged off the challenge to his status posed by the in-form Rafael Nadal.
The Swiss superstar has topped the rankings since February 2004, but his dominance is under threat from world number two Nadal, who claimed his seventh title of the season on Sunday when he beat Nicolas Kiefer to win the Toronto Masters.
Nadal's victory was his 29th in a row, the Spaniard also underlining the strength of his challenge by scoring a dominant win at the French Open before subsequently stealing Federer's Wimbledon crown.
Although Nadal could become world number one with victory in Cincinnati, Federer has claimed that he is concentrating on defending his title at this week's ATP event, rather than the threat posed by his rival.
"I feel good, I'm focused," Federer said. "I'm not focused on Rafa, he's on the other side of the draw. Of course he's been playing great and is on an unbelievable winning streak.
"We're back on hardcourt again and it's hard to keep winning. But what he's doing is terrific," he added.
Federer also said that, with Nadal now just 300 points behind him in the rankings, he would stick to same approach which has served him so well in the past.
"I focus on big picture, prepare well and try not to go crazy over the ranking. I know there's a lot of talk about it now, and Rafa does deserve the credit," he continued.
"I just hope to get in a hardcourt roll this week and be in great shape for the Olympics."
Nadal, who has been ranked number two for a record 157 weeks, could take over at the top next Sunday if he wins in Cincinnati and Federer loses before the semi-finals.
Federer lost in his opening match in Toronto last week to Frenchman Gilles Simon.
