Rafael Nadal bittersweet after reclaiming World No. 1 ranking

Rafael Nadal is set to reclaim the World No. 1 ranking for the first time since July, 2014. And while Nadal has acknowledged the feat will be "something special," the Spaniard is sorry Roger Federer withdrew from this week's Cincinnati Masters, where the two rivals were due to battle for the World No. 1 ranking.

Federer would skip the Cincinnati Masters -- the last stop before the 2017 US Open -- after aggravating a back injury during Sunday's Rogers Cup final defeat to Alexander Zverev. Federer, with a win-loss record of 35-3 in 2017, was the only player who could have denied Nadal the No. 1 spot in next Monday's updated rankings. Injured World no. 1 Andy Murray hasn't taken the court since his loss at Wimbledon.

Nadal, who has spent a total of 141 weeks as World No. 1, admitted doubting he could ever regain the top spot at the age of 31. “If you don’t have doubts, it’s because you are very arrogant and I’m not very arrogant. There’s a young generation up and coming. It’s very tough to come back and be number one. For me to be in that position is something very special. I have the passion and love for the game. That’s why I’m able to be back in that position again," Nadal said.

Cincinnati Masters: The last stop before 2017 US Open

The Spaniard realises that the hard courts in Cincinnati will help him tune up for Flushing Meadows. “Roger and I are having great seasons. One of us will have the chance to have that position for more weeks. I’m going to try and do my best this week and see what happens.”

Federer, a seven-time champion at Cincinnati, apologised to the fans for pulling out of the last stop before the US Open. “I am very sorry to pull out of the Western and Southern Open as I always enjoy playing. Cincinnati has some of the best fans in the world and I am sorry I will miss them. Unfortunately, I tweaked my back in Montreal and I need to rest this week.”

Rafael Nadal captured Grand Slam No. 15 at Roland Garros this year besides losing to nemesis Roger Federer in a memorable Australian Open final. The two aging legends have dominated the ATP circuit in 2017 owing to recurring injuries suffered by Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, besides the inconsistent form of Stan Wawrinka.