RAFAEL NADAL will become No. 1 in the rankings today, and he is No. 1 at the Olympics.
The Spaniard won a gold medal yesterday, overcoming two set points in the second set and holding every service game to beat Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3.
The gold medal was the first ever for Spain in Olympic tennis.
Nadal was already assured of taking over the No. 1 ranking today for the first time, ending Roger Federer’s reign after 4 1/2 years. Nadal has won 38 of his past 39 matches, including victories over Federer in the finals at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Elena Dementieva earned the gold in women’s singles, taking advantage of 17 double-faults by fellow Russian Dinara Safina to win 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Russia swept the medals in women’s singles when Vera Zvonareva beat Li Na of China 6-0, 7-5 to win the bronze. That victory made Russia the first nation to win all three medals in one tennis event since Great Britain did so in the 1908 women’s singles.
In women’s doubles, Venus and Serena Williams of the United States won the gold, beating Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain 6-2, 6-0.
Yan Zi and Zheng Jie of China beat Ukraine’s Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko for the bronze, 6-2, 6-2.
Federer made up for the disappointment of missing out in the singles by winning his first Olympic gold medal as he teamed up with Stanislas Wawrinka to claim the doubles title Saturday.
(SD-Agencies)