ATP: Rafael Nadal drops out of top 5 in nine days
Defending champion Rafael Nadal has to reckon with a severe relapse in the world rankings after his second round exit at the Australian Open.
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit: Jan 19, 2023, 04:58 pm
Every great triumph in tennis also has its downsides: A fixed price is in any case - if the world rankings don't go crazy with Corona - that you have to defend the ranking points you have acquired again the following year. If this is not the case, and if the defeat also happens earlier in the tournament, you have to expect a decent drop in points. In most cases, this also means a loss of position in the ATP leaderboard.
This event will now also occur visibly with the 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, as the Mallorcan had to defeat the American Mackenzie McDonald 4: 6 in the second round of this year's Australian Open edition, weakened by an injury , 4:6, 5:7 beaten. The Spaniard has just 45 net ATP points, which, according to Adam Riese, means a minus of a frightening 1955 world ranking points.
Auger-Aliassime and Fritz greatest danger
As of today, on the Monday after next, Nadal will definitely fall out of the top 5 of the men's ranking. Casper Ruud, Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas will leave the 'Bull from Manacor' behind. And a few other colleagues are in the best position to overtake the record French Open champion as well. The most promising candidates are Félix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz - but Holger Rune, Cameron Norrie or Daniil Medvedev could also end up ahead of the Spaniard if they participate in the final.
All in all, not good news for the living tennis legend, although looking at the world rankings is currently one of "Rafa's" least problems. First of all, the Iberian has to get fully fit again in order to remain competitive - and that is to be wished for.