Nadal dropped out of top 10 ATP after 18 years
March 20 is the day Nadal has 600 points deducted from his achievement in the Indian Wells final last year. He ended his record of 912 consecutive weeks in the ATP top 10, with a total of 6,538 days, starting April 25, 2005.
"With all the injuries I've had over the past year, this is something you have to accept," Nadal said of the current situation in an interview on March 2. "I've broken ribs, suffered two abs lacerations, loin injuries and leg problems. It's been a miracle to keep playing."
Nadal is currently ninth in the ATP rankings according to live scores, after Holger Rune took the lead thanks to being in the semi-finals of the Acapulco tournament. Taylor Fritz also made it to the semi-finals and climbed to number five. In the case of a total deduction of 1,000 points for last year's Indian Wells championship, Fritz still has 2,795 points, 80 points more than Nadal. Those standing close to Nadal are Hubert Hurkacz and Felix Auger-Aliassime defending only 90 and 10 points in Indian Wells, respectively. "King of clay" therefore will definitely drop out of the top 10 on March 20.
Nadal could drop to 13th if Cameron Norrie maintains his current form, and Jannik Sinner accumulates more points. Being outside the top 10 ATP puts Nadal at risk of having to face strong opponents right from the quarterfinals of major tournaments.
"I want to be in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid but things are not clear," Nadal said of his goals for this year's clay season. "Every day I do recovery training at the academy. I am waiting for the improvement of the injuries but not sure about the time."
Nadal has lost seven of his last nine matches, since being eliminated in the fourth round of the US Open last year. He also previously withdrew from the Wimbledon semi-finals because of a torn abdominal muscle.
The 36-year-old has had a successful first half of the 2022 season, winning both the Australian Open and Roland Garros. But he started the injury in March, when attending the Indian Wells Masters, and then continuously sidelined for the second half of the season. Nadal continued his hip injury at the Australian Open earlier this year, losing to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.
