Spain Tennis star Rafael Nadal slips out of ATP Top 10 rankings for the first time in 18 years

The 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal dropped out of the top 10 on Monday for the first time since 2005 due to his absence from Indian Wells, but if he can recover fully, the Spaniard will still be the “one to beat” at the French Open.

As he continues to heal from the hip problem that terminated his Australian Open title defence in the second round in January, Nadal was forced to miss the Masters 1000 competition in California, where he reached the final the previous year.

Nadal’s record 912-week stint inside the top 10 that started when current number one Carlos Alcaraz was not even two years old came to an end as a result of his inability to protect the 600 points from Indian Wells, which caused him to slide four spots to number 13 in the rankings. Nadal’s spell outside the top 10 may not last long, though, as he plans to play again at the Monte Carlo Masters next month before the French Open, which he has won 14 times in his career.

‘Wouldn’t surprise me, as he’s preparing for Roland Garros’ – Casper Ruud on Rafael Nadal

Casper Ruud, the fourth-ranked player in the world, admitted he would not be surprised to see Nadal, 36, win the championship again after losing to him in the Roland Garros final the previous year. “It wouldn’t surprise me because he’ll probably use these weeks and these months, as he’s preparing for exactly Roland Garros,” Ruud told in the ‘Ruud Talk’ series. He added, “It doesn’t matter if he loses in Monte Carlo or Rome or Madrid. The only thing that’s probably on his mind these days is just to be fit, be healthy and be ready for Roland Garros.”

Serena Williams and Roger Federer retired from tennis last year, wiping out two of its all-time greats, but Nadal and opponent Novak Djokovic are still competing. With his victory at the Australian Open, Djokovic, who turns 36 in May, surpassed Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slam victories.

“For the whole tennis world, it would be nice to see one last showdown at Roland Garros,” former U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem said, adding that Djokovic will likely win the remaining Grand Slams this year. “The only tournament is Roland Garros: if Rafa is fit there, it’s exactly the opposite. He’s the man to beat when he won the tournament 14 times; it’s crazy.”