Rafael Nadal’s 12th Barcelona Open title pushed him back up to No.2 in the ATP rankings on Monday. He is 110 points ahead of Daniil Medvedev.
ATP rankings as of April 26:
1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 11963 pts
2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9810 (+1)
3. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 9700 (-1)
4. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 8365
5. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 7980
6. Alexander Zverev (GER) 6125
7. Andrey Rublev (RUS) 6000
8. Roger Federer (SUI) 5875
9. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 3765
10. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 3568
According to tennis.com, Monday marks the beginning of Rafa’s 578th career week inside the Top 2. To put that in perspective, the stretch totals more than 11 solid years of being one of the two best tennis players in the world.
Of those 578 career weeks in the Top 2, he’s spent 209 at No. 1 and now 369 at No. 2.
Our champ cracked the Top 10 for the first time on April 25, 2005 after winning the first of his now-12 career titles in Barcelona and he’s never dropped out, the longest consecutive streak in the Top 10 in ATP rankings history.
In his on court speech after winning the title in Barcelona, Rafa gave a classy welcome back to umpire Carlos Bernardes, who has recovered from a recent heart attack. I wish him well along with Carla Suarez Navarro and Francesca Schiavone who have successfully battled cancer.
According to a TennisWorld report published Tuesday evening USA time Djokovic “most likely” will not play at Madrid. TennisWorld is a bit vague as to whether this is due to Nole’s health or the state of his game.
I would not take this to bank until confirmed by Nole or a formal withdrawal. As is usually the case with Nole you never know.
Thanks David. With having the most weeks at no.1 and a healthy ranking points differential, Novak has the luxury of skipping Madrid. Good for him. Let’s see.
Yes Lorna probably a smart decision by Nole if he really is having health problems.
Rafa though has a chance to begin Roland Garris in top shape and match experience.
According to the magazine Subterranean Biology, a new species of snail, discovered in Vrijesko Vrelo in Montenegro, has been renamed in honour of Novak Djokovic – Travunijana Djokovic.
“I am honored that a new species of snail has received my name because I am a huge fan of nature and ecosystems…..I don’t know how symbolic this is, because throughout my career I have always tried to be fast….maybe they’re telling me to slow down a bit!”
Ummh! No, it’s not a belated April fool joke, so make of it what you will. I guess Novak will have to put up with a lot of teasing.
Tsitsipas : ” He [Nadal]hates to lose more than anyone else. I haven’t seen anyone fight like this. He makes my life really difficult on court.”
Nadal : “I don’t hate losing, but I like winning and competing more than anything else.
I like to make an effort to try to achieve the objectives and, if I do not achieve them, to leave with peace of mind that I have tried.
If you don’t fight in a final, when do you fight?”
The reply just sums up perfectly what Rafa is all about.
Thanks for the quote, Lorna. I hadn’t seen it, but it’s exactly what I thought when I saw the Tsitsipas quote. Jimmy Connors played from a hatred of losing but Rafa plays from love of competing and winning! Also he’s proud of his epic losses as well as his many epic victories.
You’re most welcome, Marilyn.
I agree Lorna. Some players hate to lose and some players love to win. Tsitsipas got it wrong when he said that Rafa hates to lose. Actually, Rafa loves to win. The motivation is different: positive, not negative. Players who love to win are much happier in themselves than players who hate to lose.
With all that’s been said by all of you, fellow fans, I need to watch the replay now as I get the feeling I’ve missed out on a great performance.
I lost sleep just monitoring the Live Scores on my tablet – I was on tenterhooks already – I can imagine what it would have been like watching the match itself.
That’s the thing with Rafa – you’re never left wanting – he plays against all his already-great past performances, the spirit of a true champion of the game.
I truly admire Rafa and his unique greatness will live on!
Julieta, I think you will enjoy viewing a repeat almost as much as watching it live. There were so many ups and downs to the match. You may think you know what will happen in a given game and then be completely surprised.
The mind of a Champion-in the presser post match, how does Rafa have such patience? After 3 hours on court what would you rather be doing? Especially having to listen and respond in English, not Spanish. He lauded ST, spoke of wanting to get better, always improving-“I was not perfect”…..amusing facial expressions when he gets those inane questions🥴perhaps this is the commonality of great champions-they never forget the “hard yards”❤️
Well done with your win and your back to number 2 again hope the season is going to be alright started well congratulations rafa
I also enjoyed the repay a great deal, in any case the live match was in the middle of the night for me in New Zealand and decided not to wake up this time to watch. If you look at the rankings, Rafa and Roger have played only 17 tournaments for the present rankings, while others while Stefanos have played 29 and Sasha have played 28. The youngsters play a hell of a lot of tournaments to chase points. Enjoyed the match a great deal and the way Rafa fought for every single point. Vamos Rafa, good luck in Madrid, Rome and of course Roland Garros.
Rafa congratulations keep going up fo theFrench open vamossssssssss the king of clay 💪💪💪❤️
I watched the recording of the match last night. I was able to enjoy it much more than the live match. It was a fantastic match, the rallies, the intensity and the huge element of competitive rivalry. The sheer will of Rafa who was not prepared to lose was outstanding. What a spirit.
Stefanos contributed hugely to but got a little cocky recently, saying he wants to beat Rafa in RG. Better to be discreet like Rafa,
Medvedev claims that clay is not his best or favourite surface so may not do particularly well if he plays Madrid and Rome.
I don’t know what points Rafa has to defend in Madrid. I was in Madrid when Theim defeated him in 2019. Rome probably one of his favourite courts. Right now I think he needs a couple of days on his boat.
He is an incredible champion, 🇪🇸🌟
Elizabeth, I agree with you. I also enjoyed the replay more. Yes, it was a fantastic match, and I am glad it went Rafa’s way, so close.
Vamos all the way to Madrid, Rome and of ccours RG, Vavamos Rafa the Lord of the court, King of clay, God of tennis
No 2 is better than no 3 of course, but the most important thing is Rafa stays competitive and healthy mentally and physically. All the best to you Rafa!❤️ Stay safe, can’t wait to see you again……
Correction: #2 is better than #3, sorry about that.
Wow. A day later and still can’t get over the performances by both players but especially Rafa on almost 35 year old legs and on the 5th day in a row of some tough matches. He still has the ability to leave us awe struck.
No matter what ranking you have dear Rafa you’re always #1. 👏💕
So true, he is always #1, well said Pauline.👍
Rafa is always number one in our hearts. I was really encouraged by his post interviews where he said physically he felt fine even after 3.5 hours. He is so fit even at almost 35!
Congratulations world #2, Rafael Nadal. All the best as the season progresses👏🤛👍💪🍀🎾❤️
There are still Madrid and Rome before the French. Rankings can change.
My bad. Hit the post button before finishing.
Go Rafa. Vamos. Defend those Madrid points and surpass them.
Wishing you the very best for the tournament.
Pauline has the right phrase for how tennis fans view what happened yesterday: “awe struck.” Truly Rafa”s performance went far beyond what could be expected.
Mark, how far did Rafa go in Madrid in 2019? I know he didn’t win. Rafa will keep the points for winning Rome that year under the current system.
I suppose Medvedev could surprise everyone and gain points on clay. Theim of course could still be a short term danger to Rafa’s ranking.
The important thing is for Rafa to improve his game and the rest will follow.
Hey David,
Thanks for the refresher. You are right that Rafa’s points from 2019 including Madrid are safe until 2022. I got that wrong.
He can lose half his points from Rome last year if I have understood the arrangement correctly.
He said recently that his priority is peaking in time for the F.O. What happens leading up to that is of lesser importance.
Keep going Rafa👏❤️
Climbing back. Good job!
Congratulations champ Rafa 👏👏👏👏. So happy to learn you’re back to #2. Would be nice if you’re the #1. But whatever rank you may be you’ll always be my number 1. My fav tennis superstar. Vamos champ Rafa 👏😘😘
Well done is hardly the worthy expression. To be a leader in a sport for a month, year, several years speaks to tenasity, very very hard work, and the love of the sport that keeps one ,dsily, giving your all to it!!!!! That is who you are RAFA. YOU ARE THE SPIRIT OF TENNIS!!!
It’s a good outcome for the French open draw since Novak and he will be on opposite sides.
I hope that will be the case, but there is still more tennis to play before RG. Rafa has semifinalists points to defend in Madrid. Medevdev is only 110 points behind. Let’s hope our champ continues to improve his play.