BEIJING (AP) Rafael Nadal will supplant Novak Djokovic atop the rankings after advancing to the final of the China Open on Saturday when Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic retired with a back injury.
The Spaniard was a break up at 4-2 in the opening set of their semifinal when Berdych retired soon after taking an injury timeout.
Djokovic still has a chance to claim superiority as the two will meet in Sunday's final, after the defending champion earned a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 victory over fifth-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the other semifinal.
Nadal, who improved to 27-0 on hard courts this season, will return to the top ranking for the first time since July 2011. Djokovic has been No. 1 for 101 weeks.
"The personal satisfaction is not because I am No. 1 today, it's because (of) all the work (I put in) to be where I am today," Nadal said. "I don't feel (like) a better player now than five hours ago, and I won't go to bed tonight feeling that I am the best player in the world_that's something I've never thought."