Big fall for Nadal, the fight for the number 1 in Melbourne

The elimination of Rafael Nadal, precisely in the 2nd round of the Australian Open, will cost the Spaniard dearly in terms of rankings.

The world No. 2 was beaten in three sets by Mackenzie MacDonald in an early Melbourne departure and is set to return to Mallorca with another serious tournament injury.

The 36-year-old Spaniard managed to pick up just 45 points from the 2,000 points he defended over those two weeks in Australia, dropping to 6th in Live ATP Rakings.

Nadal now has 3,815 points, just 190 more than 7th seed Felix Auxerre Aliasim who, if he can match last year’s run in the tournament (quarterfinals), will overtake Rafa in the 6th seed.

And Taylor Fritz has the potential to overtake Nadal and is 405 points behind the Spaniard.

Since Nadal’s withdrawal, Djokovic and Rublev have already been favored and are now 3rd and 5th in the live ATP rankings, with Stefanos Tsitsipas remaining at 4th.

The news of his absence Rafael Nadal for the next two monthsthreatens the Spaniard’s presence in the top 10 as if he were absent from the Indian Wells Masters, he will lose another 600 points from his presence in last year’s final.

After the elimination of Casper Rude in the 2nd roundDjokovic and Tsitsipas have a chance to rise to world No. 1 after the end of the Australian Open as long as they win the title.

In any other scenario, Carlos Alcarath will retain his throne in the ATP rankings after January 30th.

Source: Tennis24.gr