Rafael Nadal’s ATP Ranking significantly increased after an outstanding showing at the 2024 Madrid Open, which is likely to be his final home tournament of a remarkable career.
With his protected ranking of No. 512 in the world, Nadal was able to enter the Masters-1000 main field before the Madrid Open. He faced 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch in the tournament’s opening round, and to begin his career, he overcame the wildcard in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0.
The Spaniard then faced No. 10 Alex de Minaur in their second encounter in as many weeks and exacted revenge on Barcelona. The former World No. 1 beat the top-ranked Australian player 7-6(6), 6-3, much to the delight of the home crowd. Rafael Nadal and Pedro Cachin squared up in the third round, with the Argentine putting up a strong fight.
Cachin rallied in the second set, but the Spaniard won the first one with ease. In the last set, the five-time Madrid Open champion overcame Cachin’s comeback, winning 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 to win his first three-set match of the year.
In the CajaMagica fourth round, Rafael Nadal squared up against Jiri Lehecka, ranked thirty spots higher. In the first set, which was as close as it got, the two men shared the first ten games. The 22-time Grand Slam champion’s serve was then crucially broken by Lehecka to end the opening set. With another break of Nadal’s serve early in the second set, the Czech made a major step towards the quarterfinals.
Jiri Lehecka ended up winning the match in straight sets. This loss was the end of Rafael Nadal’s journey at the Madrid Open. He had previously stated that 2024 would be his last year of ATP tour competition. After finishing in Madrid’s fourth round, the 37-year-old received 100 points.
As a result, he moved up 207 spots in the ATP Rankings to take his current position at World No. 305 with 175 points. He needs to score at least four more points to get into the top 300.
Rafael Nadal intends to participate in the Italian Open as a preparation for the Roland Garros final.
Rafael Nadal is expected to participate in the Italian Open, which gets underway on May 8. After being eliminated from the Madrid Open, the Spaniard, who holds the distinction as the record 10-time champion of the Masters-1000 tournament in Rome, announced his intention to play in the Italian Open.
Nevertheless, the southpaw’s goals for Roland Garros had been unclear. The 14-time Roland Garros champion declined requests for an official statement regarding his plans for the clay Slam, stating that he would rather wait to make a statement until after his campaign in Rome is concluded.
