Toni Nadal says dropping out of the top 10 isn’t something that worries Rafael Nadal too much. At the Australian Open, Nadal – who has been hampered by a hip injury – failed to defend his title after suffering a second-round defeat.
Nadal hasn’t played since and losing points in the rankings saw him drop out of the top 10 for the first time since 2005. “He is aware that to be in the top 10 you have to play constantly.
He knew it was going to happen.” It’s also not something that worries him too much. The important thing is that when he goes out to play, he feels confident that he can win and that he is close to achieving it, knowing that things are more difficult every year,” Toni Nadal told MARCA Sport.
Rafael Nadal on his tennis:
Nadal said his stunning run was ‘a miracle’ On April 25, 2005, Nadal broke into the top 10 for the first time in his career.
On March 20, Nadal dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in 18 years. When Nadal announced his withdrawal from Indian Wells and Miami, he knew it meant a top 10 exit. But Nadal wasn’t negative about it, explaining how special it was to stay in the top 10. without ever leaving for 18 years.
“I prefer to be in the top 10, that’s obvious, but in the end you have to accept things as they come. With all the injuries I’ve suffered over the last 18 years, not having left the top 10 at almost no occasion is a miracle.
There came a point where a lot happened in the last year: a broken rib, two abdominal tears, now hip problems, foot problems, there are a lot of things that in tennis, with a ranking which lasts a year, you know if you don’t play you’re out of the top 10,” Nadal said earlier this month. Meanwhile, Nadal is expected to return to action at the Monte Carlo Masters.
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