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Nadal, Djokovic ranked 1-2 going into Australian Open

Novak Djokovic (L) and Rafael Nadal are shown with their trophies after Nadal beat Djokovic in the finals of the 2013 U.S. Open. They are the top two ranked players going into next week's Australian Open, the first major tennis tournament of 2014. UPI /Monika Graff
Novak Djokovic (L) and Rafael Nadal are shown with their trophies after Nadal beat Djokovic in the finals of the 2013 U.S. Open. They are the top two ranked players going into next week's Australian Open, the first major tennis tournament of 2014. UPI /Monika Graff | License Photo

LONDON, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Rafael Nadal and three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic will be ranked 1-2 when the seedings and draws are determined for the 2014 Australian Open.

Nadal overtook Djokovic for the No. 1 spot in the rankings in October and solidified his spot at the top with his win Saturday in the finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

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It was his 61st ATP title, leaving him alone in eighth place on the all-time championships list. Guillermo Villas is seventh with 62 and Bjorn Borg and Peter Sampras are tied for fifth with 64.

The all-time leader is Jimmy Connors with 110.

Djokovic last year won the Australian Open for a fourth time -- he notched his first Grand Slam title in 2008 in Melbourne and has taken the title each of the last three years -- and was No. 1 for 48 weeks before dropping behind Nadal.

Australian Open officials will be looking at results and the rankings this week when they decide the seedings and pairings for the tournament, which begins next Monday and wraps with the men's singles final Jan. 26.

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There were no changes in the ATP Top 10 this week.

Nadal beat Gael Monfils for the title in Qatar and the finals appearance moves Monfils from 31st to No. 26 in the rankings.

Lleyton Hewitt defeated No. 6-ranked Roger Federer in the final of the Brisbane International. That jumps him to 43rd. He was 60th last week.

The loss kept Federer tied with John McEnroe with 77 ATP titles, which is third-most behind Connors and Ivan Lendl (94).

Stanislas Wawrinka collected the championship at the Aircel Chennai Open in India and he stays ranked eighth. His finals opponent, Edouard Roger-Vasselin, goes from 52nd to No. 40 in the rankings.

There are two tournaments this week with No. 3-rfanked David Ferrer, a three-time defending champion, seeded first for the Heineken Open in New Zealand, and fifth-ranked Juan Martin del Potro leading the field at the Apia International Sydney.

The ATP Top 10, listing player's name, home country and rankings points:

1. Rafael Nadal, Spain, 13,130

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2. Novak Djokovic, Serbia, 12,260

3. David Ferrer, Spain, 5,800

4. Andy Murray, Great Britain, 5,560

5. Juan Martin del Potro, Argentina, 5,255

6. Roger Federer, Switzerland, 4,355

7. Tomas Berdych, Czech Republic, 4,180

8. Stanislas Wawrinka, Switzerland, 3,890

9. Richard Gasquet, France, 3,140

10. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, France, 3,065

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