One of the most important names in world tennis history, Spanish Rafael Nadal’s record of staying in the top 10 in the men’s singles world rankings ended following 912 weeks.
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In the updated world ranking of the Professional Tennis Association (ATP), the 36-year-old tennis player, who has 22 grand slam titles in his career, dropped from 9th to 13th.
Nadal, who entered the top 10 in the world rankings by winning the Barcelona Open in April 2005 when he was only 18 years old and has managed to stay until today, said goodbye to this record following nearly 18 years.
Nadal, who broke the men’s singles record by surpassing former US world number 1 Jimmy Connors (789 weeks) in 2020, has only one tennis player ahead of him in this field. Legendary Czech tennis player Martina Navratilova continues to hold the record by staying in the top 10 for 1000 weeks in women’s singles.
The fact that the Spanish tennis player, who left the tournament following being injured in the second round of the Australian Open, the first grand slam tournament of the season, might not return to the courts yet, is cited as the most important reason for leaving the top 10.
Nadal is expected to return to the courts during the clay court season, with the Monte Carlo Masters tournament kicking off on April 8.