Rafael Nadal says he is not thinking about replacing Novak Djokovic as the world number one and is staying focused on the China Open.
The Spanish ace has booked his place in the semi-finals after a hard-fought 2-6 6-4 6-1 win over Italian Fabio Fognini and if he reaches the final then he will return to the world number one ranking.
John Isner or Tomas Berdych stand in his way and the 27-year-old is thinking about his opponent and not the chance to take top spot for the first time since July 2011.
“It’s something that doesn’t create more pressure for me,” Nadal said.
“It’s something that already happened in the past. If that happens again, it will be good, it will be special for me.
“It is not the moment to think about number one, it is the moment to think about Berdych or Isner.”
Nadal, who appeared to be struggling with a knee injury, looked to be crashing out at the quarter-final stage in Beijing as he was a set down and trailed 4-1 in the second set.
He was just a point away from going 5-1 down but managed to claw it back and lost just one more game on his way to victory.
Meanwhile, current world number one Djokovic is set to take on Sam Querrey in his quarter-final.
Link Dafabet