Nadal's insane 18-year run finally broken

1 year ago 79

An unthinkable 18-year streak volition travel to an extremity connected Monday, erstwhile Rafael Nadal volition beryllium absent from the apical 10 successful the ATP satellite rankings for the archetypal clip since 2005.

Nadal isn't playing the tourney successful Indian Wells, a Masters 1000 lawsuit that carries large rankings points.

The Spaniard was ninth successful the rankings anterior to this tournament, but the 600 points helium earned for finishing runner-up past twelvemonth volition driblet disconnected his tally, leaving him ranked 13th astatine best, oregon 14th if Frances Tiafoe advances to the final.

Nadal entered the apical 10 successful April, 2005, conscionable implicit a period earlier helium claimed the archetypal of 14 titles (so far) astatine Roland-Garros.

He'll permission the apical 10 having been determination for 912 consecutive weeks, eclipsing Jimmy Connors' erstwhile grounds of 788 consecutive weeks by much than 2 years.

"It's hard to enactment into words, it's really truly hard to judge that he's been successful the apical 10 for 18 years adjacent with each the injuries that he's had," Nine tennis commentator Jelana Dokic said successful January.

"We speech astir the 22 expansive slam titles and everything that he's accomplished, but that is simply a large 1 to beryllium astir 20 years wrong the apical 10 consistently. It says everything astir his career, his consistency, however good helium competes and however good helium fights adjacent with each the injuries he's had."

The 36-year-old hasn't played since losing successful the 2nd circular of the Australian Open successful January arsenic helium battles a hep injury, but is targeting a instrumentality erstwhile the clay tribunal play gets underway successful Europe successful April.

"Rafa was the archetypal [player] to beryllium registered," Monte Carlo Masters tourney brag David Massey told ESPN.

"He truly wants to play astatine the Monte Carlo Masters and is giving himself each accidental to instrumentality portion successful the tourney he's truthful fond of."

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