In a disappointment for billions of Rafael Nadal fans across the world, the tennis legend has slipped from the top 10 ranking for the first time in almost 18 years (nearly 934 weeks). It was on April 25, 2005, that the Spanish star entered the top 10 ATP ranking. According to the latest ATP ranking he has been ranked 13th seed.
Importantly, Martina Navratilova has spent more weeks in the tennis world than him in the top 10 ranking with nearly 1,000 straight weeks. Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles so far, is currently recovering from a left hip flexor injury since the Australian Open, He has also skipped tournaments like Miami and Indian Wells
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Earlier, in January this year, Nadal had injured his hip flexor while playing the second-round match against United States‘ Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian open. He is looking to make a comeback next month at the Monte Carlo Masters. While the tournament will begin on April 8, organisers are confident of his participation in the tournament.
Releasing a statement, tournament director David Massey has said that Rafael was the first player to be registered for the tournament and that the tennis legend is waiting eagerly for the tournament. He added that Nadal is looking to give himself every chance to play in the tournament, of which he is extremely fond of.
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It may be noted here that Nadal has won the tournament 11 times, including eight consecutive titles from 2005 to 2012. He uses the tournament as an important part of preparations before the French Open. So far, the 36-year-old has won 14 titles at Roland Garros, including in 2022, when he was suffering from chronic pain in his left foot.
Meanwhile, his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz regained the top spot in the ATP rankings, which were released on Monday. On Sunday, he won the Indian Wells title defeating Russian Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-2 in the final.