Rafael Nadal Leaves Top 100 For the First Time In 20 Years

| by Alex Waite

Rafael Nadal has officially dropped out of the ATP world rankings top 100 for the first time in 20 years.

Nadal turned pro in 2001 and spent the first two years of his career working his way into the top 100, which is where the 22-time Grand Slam winner remained between April 2003 and June 12, 2023.

The 37-year-old's recent injury struggles and necessary surgery meant he missed out on the 2023 Roland Garros and he is also likely to miss the remainder of the season to recover, which will set him back further in the standings.

After the most recent ATP Rankings update, Nadal has just 445 ranking points for the season, which saw him fall from 15th in the world down to 136th. It is also the veteran player's lowest rank since March 2003, when he was 152nd in the men's singles table.

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2023 has been a challenging year for Nadal so far and his drop from the ATP's top 100 will add another blow to the 14-time Roland Garros winner. This season, the Spanish player has completed in four matches and secured just one victory - an Australian Open first-round victory against Cam Norrie - while losing the other three.

In the following match, Nadal suffered an injury in a straight-sets defeat against Mackenzie McDonald and he has been ruled out ever since. Moreover, it is likely that the 37-year-old will not return to competitive action until the 2024 season as his recovery time from surgery is anticipated at nearly five months.

Nadal's decline down the world rankings will also make tournament entry slightly more challenging when he does return for the 2024 season. However, given his stature in the game and previous success on the biggest stages in tennis, the Spanish star is likely to build momentum and gain competitive court time through wildcard entries throughout the year.

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