World No. 1 Scenarios

The top tennis ranking in the world was on the line momentarily in Madrid until Novak Djokovic was forced to pull out with a wrist injury. The Serb has been chasing Rafael Nadal for the top ranking ever since Tomas Berdych retired against Nadal in Beijing 2013. With the start of Roland Garros just nine days away, Djokovic has a chance to return to No. 1 in the world for a third time in his career. However, several things have to go right for Djokovic if he is to be the world No. 1 at the end of the French Open. And what transpires in Rome tomorrow has implications on what Djokovic needs to do in Paris.

Both players have already dodged early exits in Rome to help strengthen their chances of reaching or retaining the No. 1 ranking. After benefiting from an injury to Kei Nishikori, Nadal won three more matches in a row in which he needed three sets, doing so to Gilles Simon, Mikhail Youzhny, and Andy Murray, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5. Nadal then defeated Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinal. Djokovic, since returning from injury, cruised in his first round encounter with Radek Stepanek, but needed to go the distance to beat both Philipp Kohlschreiber, David Ferrer, and Milos Raonic to reach the fnal. Both players are playing in the Rome final tomorrow, so here is what each player has to do to be the world No. 1 on June 9, 2014.

If Nadal beats Djokovic in the Rome final, then...
Nadal would hold a 170-point lead over Djokovic going into Roland Garros when the points they are defending at Roland Garros are taken away. That means Djokovic would have to do 170 points better than Nadal in Paris.
-If Djokovic loses before the round of 16, Nadal will remain the world No. 1
-If Djokovic reaches the round of 16, Nadal would have to lose in the first round, which would create a tie for No. 1 in the world.
-If Djokovic goes past the round of 16, he would have to go just one round further than Nadal to become the world No. 1

If Djokovic beats Nadal in the Rome final, then...
Djokovic would hold a 630-point lead over Nadal going into Roland Garros when the points they are defending at Roland Garros are taken away. That means Nadal would have to do 630 points better than Djokovic in Paris.
-If Nadal loses before semifinals, Djokovic will become the world No. 1
-If Nadal reaches the semifinals, Djokovic would have to lose in the first three rounds for Nadal to remain the world No. 1
-If Nadal reaches the semifinals and Djokovic loses in the third round, it would create a tie for No. 1 in the world
-If Nadal reaches the final, Djokovic would have to lose before the semifinals for Nadal to remain the world No. 1
-If Nadal wins the title, he will remain world No. 1