Rafael Nadal set for 2024 farewell after pulling out of French Open
Rafael Nadal has continued his slide down the ATP Rankings as the injured star patiently waits for his return to tennis. The Spaniard, who spent 209 weeks as the world No 1, has plummeted down the order at a rapid rate and now finds himself outside the top 500 for the first time in 21 years, after spending almost the entirety of the 2023 tour sidelined with injury issues.
In the latest published rankings from November 13, the 37-year-old is now ranked at 664th in the men’s singles rankings after going 11 months without a tennis match.
Only last week, Nadal was placed 244th in the standings, but the beginning of the ATP Finals in Turin means his points from the 2022 tournament have now been wiped out. He now has only 45 points to his name, while Novak Djokovic tops the list on 9,945 after winning three Grand Slams, six titles and reaching the final of Wimbledon.
It is the lowest Nadal has been ranked since April 2002 when he was 16 and had only turned professional the previous year. At that point, he was ranked 762nd in the world and, within the space of a year, he managed to break into the top-100.
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Nadal was the top-ranked player in the world as recently as February 2020, as he spent his 209th week at the summit of men’s tennis. That came shortly after he won the 2019 US Open, with an epic five-set victory over Daniil Medvedev.
But persistent injuries forced the Spaniard to take drastic action. He suffered an abdominal tear at 2022 Wimbledon, forcing him to miss his semi-final clash with Nick Kyrgios and denying him another potential epic final against Djokovic.
The injury resurfaced at the US Open the same year, and after an unsuccessful attempt to defend his Australian Open title, he bowed out in the second round to Mackenzie McDonald in straight sets. That was the last time Nadal was seen at a Grand Slam as he missed the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
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After a hip injury ruled him out of going for a 15th title at the French Open, it was decided he would go under the knife to have arthroscopic surgery to check his left psoas muscle in June, keeping him out for five months.
He has been recuperating with his family as he targets a return to competitive action, but it is now a long way back for the Spanish tennis icon. There are hopes that he will be back for Melbourne in January 2024, although Nadal has already warned not to expect him to be challenging for titles.
It is set to be the final year on the tour after he hinted he will call time on his illustrious career. The veteran has won 22 Grand Slams in his career, including 14 titles at the French Open, a record that may never be broken.
For that reason, Nadal is dubbed the ‘King of Clay’ due to his incredible record at Roland Garros, where he has won 98 per cent of his 115 matches and he has never lost when reaching the final in Paris.
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