The massive leap in the ATP world rankings Rafa Nadal is looking for in Brisbane

Rafael Nadal is signing off this week on his return to competition nearly a year after his iliopsoas injurysuffered from Australian Open 2023. Having not played since then, the points from the Australian Grand Slam (he lost both matches in the United Cup at the beginning of last year) are certainly the only points that appear on his world ranking account.

The Spanish player started the season with 45 points in your account, the insured after defeating Jack Draper in the first match of the Oceanic Grand Slam. She was unable to add to them after being defeated by Mackenzie McDonald in the second round, suffering from these discomforts. An atypical situation in his career, but one that has sent Nadal sinking in the ATP rankings.

The Manacor player started the season in 672nd place in the world ranking, very far from positions of honor. However, in his favor in his attempt to climb the ranks is the fact that he barely defended the first round victory in Australia (he would lose that 45 points before the Oceanic Grand Slam), so all his victories will have of cumulative effect. in the ranking.

This is what is happening this week in Brisbane. All matches won by Nadal will have a direct effect on the points. This is reflected in the a big jump in terms of positions on the world table whenever you win games. It should be noted that players between 600 and 700 in the ATP ranking play lower-level tournaments under normal conditions that put fewer points at stake, so Nadal has an advantage playing ATP 250 which allows him to add a lot. more than each other. of players located in similar positions.

So, after his victory over Dominic Thiem in the first round in Brisbane, Nadal added 25 more points in the ATP ranking and accumulated 70 in total (waiting to lose about 45 before the Australian Open). This situation put it in the 541st position for a while. in the ranking, included a gain of more than one hundred and thirty positions. It should be noted that if Rafa loses in the second round, some of them may drop slightly if the players behind him in the ranking surpass him in events with a lower level of points, but his situation is will stay around that position.

Of course, the jumps will continue to be huge if Nadal keeps winning. If he beats Jason Kubler in the round of 16 in Brisbane, he will add another 25 pointsIf you reach the semifinals there will be an additional 50, if you advance to the final another 65 and if you win the tournament another 85, for a total of 250. This is roughly what the Spanish ranking situation will look like if he continues to win games in this tournament.

How far can Rafa Nadal do in the ATP ranking based on his performance in Brisbane

-If you lose in the round of 16: will add 25 total points (already secured) and retain 70, around the 541st place of the ATP ranking
-If you lose in the quarterfinals: You add 50 total points (25 more than you already have insurance) and you are left with 95, around the 452nd place of the ATP ranking
-If you lose in the semi-finals: You will add 100 total points (75 more than you already have insurance) and you will remain 145, around the 350th position of the ATP ranking
-If you lose in the final: He will add 165 total points (140 more than he already has insurance) and will be left with 210, around 275th place in the ATP ranking
-If you win the contest: He will add 250 total points (225 more than he already has insurance) and will be left with 295, around 210th place in the ATP ranking

definitely, If he wins the tournament, a remote option at the moment, Nadal will be knocking on the doors of the top 200 in the world rankings., which he will enter when he wins matches in Australia. There, however, the option to enter the top100 will still be difficult. It is when he rises to the main ranking positions that Rafa can access different tournaments like any other player.

Until then, the option of invites and protected ranks

However, until then, there is no doubt that the Spaniard can create the calendar he considers best for his needs, regardless of his rank. You can use two formulas for this: invitations and protected ranks.

As an example, Nadal could play the ATP 250 in Brisbane because he received an invitation to do so, a trend that is expected to be common this season in most tournaments. Invitations, with limited space in each tournament, allow the organization of a tournament to give a direct spot in the final draw to the players they are considering. It is expected that the 250, 500 and even the Masters 1000 tournaments, if necessary, could give the Spaniard a wild card. that you have to go on your tracks.

But Nadal will not use an invitation to the Australian Open. There he will use the second trump card he has to ensure his presence in the tournaments: the protected rankwho will not wait for the decisions of their respective organizations.

This tool can be used by players who have been sidelined due to a long-term injury. That is, longer than six months, as is the case with Rafa. The protected ranking establishes the world table average that the injured player will get over the next three months at your expense if this does not occur. In Nadal’s case, it would be 11th place in the ATP ranking.

Of course, this is a fictional position It only serves to access the game boxesbut never opt to be seeded. For this second situation, the actual ranking is taken into account, so Nadal will not star in any of the tournaments he plays, at least, in the short and medium term, until he gets the ranking to be like that.

In the same way, The right to use the protected rank is limited in use: It can be used for nine months or nine tournaments (if they were played before that time) if the injury is more than six months but less than twelve or for twelve tournaments if twelve months that was reached. Nadal hasn’t played in eleven months, so your condition for using the protected rank is the first of those two. He will have nine months to be used in tournaments where he doesn’t receive an invite, although he hopes to win games and move up the ranks so that eventually won’t be necessary.