Djokovic admits catching up with Nadal in the race to the top spot will be difficult. PHOTO: AFP
Nadal this week replaced the Serb as world number one after collecting 10 titles this year and has the opportunity to widen the gulf as he has no points to defend for the rest of 2013.
"He deserves to be number one," said Djokovic, who beat his fierce rival in Sunday's China Open final in Beijing.
"Results are there for him. Definitely he is so far the most successful player this year.
"I can affect only what I can affect, and that is to play the best tennis that I possibly can in the moment and to try to take one tournament at a time. I need to continue doing what I have done in the last week in Beijing."
The Shanghai Masters top seed admitted that he was defending a stack of points in the rolling 12-month rankings after a strong finish to 2012 but that from February, Nadal would be in the same position.
The Serb said he had enjoyed a ‘pretty good year’ but still harboured hopes of recapturing his form of two years ago.
"I am aware of the fact that the 2011 season will be very difficult to repeat," said the 26-year-old.
"But still, knowing that I have done something like that, knowing that I've lost only a few matches in a whole year, gives me a lot of confidence and also belief that I can do it again."
Gasquet exit in Shanghai hits London hopes
Frenchman Richard Gasquet became the first high-profile casualty at the Shanghai Masters yesterday, losing his first-round encounter to Vasek Pospisil as organisers scrambled to keep the storm-hit tournament on track.
The tame 6-3, 6-4 defeat for the ninth seed deals a heavy blow to his hopes of reaching next month's World Tour Finals in London, which feature the season's top eight players. Gasquet is currently ninth in the Race to London.
Veteran Lleyton Hewitt lost 6-4, 6-2 to Andreas Seppi, missing the chance for a second-round match-up against old rival Roger Federer.
Hewitt has slipped out of the world's top 50, started strongly, breaking at the first opportunity and taking a 3-0 lead.
However, Seppi withstood the charge, winning five games in a row to seize the initiative.
The Australian wildcard showed only occasional glimpses of his fighting ability as world number 22 Seppi cut down on his error count and broke Hewitt twice at the start of the second set.
"He played a lot better," said Hewitt. "He hardly missed a ball after the first three games.
"I had chances to go up four-love. From then on, he played really well. He served better than I've seen him serve before.
"I served in patches. Probably when I was down breakpoints and stuff, I didn't get enough first serves in," added Hewitt. "He's such a tough player to play when the ball is on his terms."
There were also wins yesterday for Spainish pair Feliciano Lopez and Tommy Robredo, Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber, Kevin Anderson of South Africa, and Italy's Fabio Fognini.
The top eight seeds – including Federer, seeded five – all have a bye into the second round.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 9th, 2013.
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