Brad Gilbert: "Rafael Nadal, in Indian Wells will drop out of the Top 10"

• Sports

Rafael Nadal celebrated 900 consecutive weeks in the top ten of the world rankings last December. A sign of longevity that has distinguished the Spanish tennis player in recent years. This streak could soon be broken, especially in Indian Wells, where the former world number one has to defend the points from last year's final: this is what Andre Agassi's former coach and current television commentator, Brad Gilbert, said.

He said in an episode of Patrick McEnroe's podcast Holding Court: "If my calculations are correct, the incredible streak of consecutive weeks in the top ten, which is just under 18 consecutive years, believe it or not, will end." The twenty-two times Grand Slam champion, after a short run at the Australian Open, dropped in the standings and reached number six in the world.

The drop in the top ten goes beyond a record of consecutive weeks: this will also have consequences in the draw of the draws of the most important tournaments, Grand Slams in the first place: "he will be in a different position in the draw.

But first of all, you just want to see him healthy. If he is well, he will win games and he will be right."

Nadal's latest defeats

Rafael Nadal's problem, however, continues to be a fluctuating physical condition, between continuous and various injuries that are affecting him, especially from the end of 2022 onwards.

Gilbert then added: "He's still being bruised by injuries and he's not the same, which makes it very difficult. As you get older, it's mentally exhausting to go through all these different rehabilitations." He continued the interview talking about these last few months: "You accumulate value when you win matches.

Since last year's French Open, he hasn't won anything. He got hurt and then some Americans beat him, so he lost that value, he has to get it back."