ROGER FEDERER is heading to Miami Open as world No 1 - but can he be toppled Pilot spot in upcoming weeks.
The Swiss star suffered his first defeat of 2018 after going down in draining three-setter against 6th rank Juan Martin del Potro at Indian Wells yesterday.
But Federer is planning a quick comeback at this week's Miami Open.The Swiss master is now closer to Rafael Nadal though Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic remain out of action – and contention at the top.
In spite of missing out on a 98th career title on Sunday, the 36-year-old will go into the Florida event at the top of the world rankings.
Roger is 290 points ahead of world No 2 Rafael Nadal heading into Miami open. But last year's runner-up will be out of the tournament as he continues suffering from hip problem.
Due to absence, Nadal will lose 600 ATP points giving Federer 890-point advantage at the top.
However, as defending champion Federer can lose up to 1000 ATP points, if he crashes out in the early stages.Federer will need to reach the quarterfinals to retain the No. 1 ranking.
If Federer gets knocked out in the opening four rounds of the event, Nadal will come into first place.
Third seed Marin Cilic is 4755 points behind Federer and is way behind the top spot.