Nadal seeks to end US Open drought

NEW YORK: Rafael Nadal, who surged past Roger Federer into the world number one ranking this week, says he is not feeling any added pressure as the top seed for the first time in a US Open.
    
"When you want to win, the goal is the same and the pressure is the same," Nadal said. "I am not thinking that I am number one or number two. I have been happy being number two for the last three years.
   
Nadal officially became the new world number one on Monday, ending Federer's run of 237 weeks top the ATP rankings.
    
"I know how tough it is to be number one and I know I can just as easily slip back to number two or number three," he said.
    
"I have to try to enjoy this moment and accept it becauseI am not always going to play like I did the last six months. Right now I am having the best moment of my career."
    
The latest ATP rankings have Nadal with 6,700 points and Federer at 5,939 points. Novak Djokovic of Serbia is third at 5,105.
    
Nadal arrived in New York on August 18 to prepare for the final Grand Slam tournament of the year which begins on Monday.
    
He became the first Spanish tennis player to win an Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Games.
    
"I feel comfortable on all courts," Nadal said. "Since Miami I have been playing very well on all surfaces. I won two (hardcourt) tournaments in Toronto and the Olympics and I played the semi-finals in Cincinnati."
    
He is attempting to become the first player since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same season.