Rafa Nadal could still topple Carlos Alcaraz and take season-ending World No.1

Rafael Nadal and family are celebrating the birth of their first child, a boy named Rafael, after his tennis great dad.

The news comes as great joy and relief for the 22-Grand Slam champion and his wife Maria after reports of a difficult pregnancy.

And the Nadals could be set for further celebration with Rafa (senior) still in with a chance of finishing the tennis year as World No.1 for the sixth time in his illustrious career.

Nadal moved up to the No.2 in the world following Casper Ruud's early exits in Asia and he is still in the hunt to reach the top spot, hot on the heels of young compatriot and protégé, Carlos Alcaraz.

The current US Open champ hasn't quite taken to life as the sports top dog as yet, with a loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the David Cup followed by a first straight sets loss of the year to David Goffin at the Astana Open.

Alcaraz has 6,740 ranking points to Nadal's 5,810, holding a 930-point lead.

Alcaraz has only 280 points to defend until the end of the season, 10 of which he will lose from last year's re-scheduled Indian Wells Masters in October, where he lost in the first round. So Alcaraz effectively has 270 points to defend - 180 from his semifinal run at the 2021 Vienna Open and 90 from his Round of 16 appearance at the 2021 Paris Masters.

Nadal meanwhile has no points to defend, with his 2021 season cut short early before the US Open.

Alcaraz will not play the Vienna Open this year, where he reached the semi-final, but will instead play the Swiss Indoor Masters Basel, a good chance to give himself some much-needed breathing space over Nadal in the No.1 race. He also must look to get beyond the last-16 at the Paris Masters.

It means to reach World No.1, Nadal will need strong runs at both the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals in Turin, events he is yet to confirm he will play, and hope that Alcaraz continues to struggle with the pressures that come with being the youngest World No.1 in history.

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