Explained: How Rafael Nadal can become World No. 1 before US Open 2022 

Rafael Nadal could once again ascend to the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings. The Spanish legend could replace current World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev if he wins the Cincinnati Masters next week, while the Russian loses in the early rounds.

Medvedev would have cemented his position at the top of the rankings had he reached the final of the Canadian Open in Montreal, but his second-round defeat to Nick Kyrgios has opened the doors for the chasing pack.

Nadal pulled out of Montreal citing injury. He had no points to defend from last year as he skipped the Masters 1000 event also due to injury. But Medvedev, being the defending champion, lost 1,000 ranking points.

Going into Cincinnati, the Russian sits on 6,885 points, while the Spaniard is close behind in the No. 3 spot with 5,620 points.

Nadal has been World No. 1 for 209 weeks in his career and has finished the year at the top of the rankings five times (2008, 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019). Medvedev, meanwhile, became No. 1 for the first time in February this year, replacing Novak Djokovic at the summit. He was the first player outside the Big 4 of Djokovic, Roger Federer, Nadal and Andy Murray to hold the top spot in 18 years.

Medvedev will now shift his focus to the Cincinnati Masters next week, where he has 360 points to defend. In his press conference after his defeat at the Canadian Open, he spoke about his desire to win the title in Cincinnati but highlighted the immense competition he will face.

"I hope to play well in Cincinnati. I hope to play well in US Open. When I say 'well', it's to try to be the winner. But there are a lot of guys like, guys like Nick, like Carlos, who lost today, but can win Cincinnati, US Open. Stefanos. Maybe Sascha is coming back for US Open. Rafa, Novak, we don't know what's happening. A lot of good guys," Medvedev said.

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Rafael Nadal confirms participation at Cincinnati Masters

Rafael Nadal after winning his quarterfinal match at Wimbledon 2022

Rafael Nadal confirmed his participation at the Cincinnati Masters via a recent Instagram post.

"Very happy to play again in Cincy. Flying there tomorrow," he captioned his post.

Nadal won the Cincinnati Masters in 2013 before triumphing at the US Open in New York. The Spaniard has reached the quarterfinals of the event on seven occasions, with a 22-11 win-loss record. He has not played at Cincinnati since losing to Kyrgios in the 2017 quarterfinals.

Nadal's win-loss record for the season stands at an impressive 35-3 and with a few points still to be gained before the US Open, it won't be surprising if he heads into the year's final Grand Slam as World No. 1.