The question of Rafa's Ranking



Tough times for Nadal at Wimbledon '12

The question of Rafa's Ranking

Probably the biggest tennis story of 2013 at this early stage is Rafael Nadal's withdrawal from the Australian Open.  By all accounts the Spaniard's absence in Melbourne will be due to a stomach virus rather than the knee injury which has plagued him since Wimbledon.

Of course in missing the year's first Slam Nadal misses out on the opportunity to claim a second title Down Under but also, and significantly, will lose his place in the top four of the rankings.

Barring a shock first round loss in Melbourne for David Ferrer, and maybe even with an early Ferrer defeat, Rafa will go down to No.5 after the tournament finishes and into the unfamiliar position of Spanish No.2. 

Nadal has not been ranked outside of the top four since he arrived at Roland Garros as an 18 year-old in 2005 when he powered to the first of his 11 Grand Slam crowns.  That will be 92 consecutive months ranked no lower than fourth by the time we reach the end of this month.

The last time a Spaniard was ranked higher than Rafa was on the 18th April 2005 when his fellow Mallorcan Carlos Moya was ranked seventh to Nadal's eleventh. 

Surely the 'Big Four' of Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal will continue to be called the Big Four even with Nadal being ranked lower than Ferrer.

The big question then will be whether the seven-time French Open Champion will be able to regain his spot in the top four or if he will sink lower. 

In 2013 this will largely come down to how soon he returns to the tour and if he can get match tough in time to defend as many of his ranking points as possible on the clay of Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome and Paris.

If Nadal is still ranked in the top five come the grass court season in June that will be an impressive feat - and of course will also depend in part on players like Del Potro or Berdych not having red hot starts to 2013. With no points then to defend for the rest of the year the Spaniard would then most likely climb again.

It will certainly be one of the most interesting stories to keep track of throughout the year.  One thing is for certain - never write off a great champion, under any circumstances, until they hang up their rackets at the end of their career.