The end of a record streak! Nadal drops out of the elite ten after 17 years

Every series ends once. Former number one player, Rafael Nadal, has dropped out of the ATP top ten after an endless 912 weeks, specifically falling to thirteenth place. Symbolically, at the same time, Carlos Alcaraz, Nadal’s compatriot and successor, occupied the men’s throne, after a victorious final over Daniil Medvedev.

Last season, Rafael Nadal reached the final in Indian Wells, earning a 650-point portion. This year, due to a lingering injury, the twenty-two-time Grand Slam champion was unable to participate in the tournament, thus losing those points.

The Spaniard had been firmly in the top ten for 912 weeks, roughly seventeen and a half years. This streak began back on 25 April 2005, after his title at the Barcelona Open, and in men’s tennis such a long period without falling out of the top 10 is a sovereign record.

In 2020, the Spanish phenom surpassed Jimmy Connors, but it is already clear that he will not beat the overall longest time among the top ten. The legendary native of Rivne Martina Navratilova spent exactly 1,000 weeks in the top 10.

“With the number of injuries I’ve had in the last eighteen years, it’s a miracle that I’ve never dropped out of the top ten during that time,” said Rafael Nadal himself of his feelings after dropping to thirteenth on the ATP.

In the new edition of the rankings, another Spanish name is at the top, despite Nadal’s absence.

Still only nineteen years old, Carlos Alcaraz dominated the Masters event in Indian Wells, ending Medvedev’s streak of nineteen matches without defeat, and also returning to the tennis throne for the second time.

The question now is when clay king Rafael Nadal will return to the tennis courts again. The so-called “sunshine double” will be completed by another Masters event in Miami, where, like last year, Nadal will not be present.

His return is expected on clay in Monte Carlo, where the Spaniard has won a record eleven titles in his career.

Source: Eurosport