Rafael Nadal, the former world No. 1 and 20-time Grand Slam champion, is set to fall outside the Top 10 of the ATP rankings for the first time in over 16 years. His extended stay among the elite group of tennis players in the Top 10 is the longest streak in ATP rankings history, but it is now officially coming to an end.
Taylor Fritz’s impressive run to the semifinals in Acapulco this week means that at least ten players will have more ranking points than Nadal following the Indian Wells tournament on March 20th.
Nadal‘s absence from the tour since his leg injury at the Australian Open earlier this year has been a significant factor in his ranking decline. He also withdrew from Indian Wells, which means he won’t defend the 600 ranking points he earned for reaching the final last year, where he finished runner-up to Fritz.
Although Nadal’s withdrawal didn’t seal his fate, Fritz’s quarterfinal victory over Frances Tiafoe in Acapulco on Thursday night did. Despite Fritz himself defending 1,000 points at the Masters 1000 event for winning the title last year, he has guaranteed his position among the top 10 players who will have more ranking points than Nadal.
