Rafael Nadal’s Triumphant Return Match After 349 Days: Surpasses Ivan Lendl in Historical Ranking

The Spanish Rafael Nadal in his return match against the Austrian Dominic Thiem after 349 days of layoff due to injury. (AAP Image/Jono Searle)

After 349 days away from competition, Rafa Nadal made a triumphant return to the courts at the ATP 250 in Brisbane, convincingly defeating Dominic Thiem in two sets 7-5 and 6-1. The victory not only meant his long-awaited return to competitive tennis, but also allowed him to surpass the legend Ivan Lendl in a historical ranking, positioning himself as the fourth tennis player with the most victories in the Open Era.

Nadal, with 1,069 wins, advances on a list headed by tennis giants. He is behind Novak Djokovic, who has accumulated 1,086 victories, Roger Federer with 1,251 and, as the leader, Jimmy Connors stands with 1,275. This achievement attests to the brilliant career of the Spaniard, who, at 37 years old, continues to challenge the limits of high performance and longevity on the professional circuit.

You may be interested in: Jason Kubler, Nadal’s second opponent in Brisbane: he fell into ruin when his knee forced him to retire from the circuit for a time

Classification of the tennis players who have won the most matches in the Open Era.

After the game, they asked him about the record he had just broken. His reaction was a reflection of characteristic simplicity, limiting himself to answering with laughter to appear more focused on his return as a competitor after a long period of inactivity than on the figure itself. Nadal emphasized that his priority was to feel like a player again, beyond the numbers he can reach or surpass.

It is true that it has taken the Spaniard a year to surpass Lendl in this special list. He equaled it in the Australian Open last season, but his stoppage due to an injury to the left iliac psoas that he suffered in this same Slam against Mackenzie McDonald has forced him to wait until January 2, 2024, almost one more year. , to surprise the Czech.

In everyone’s eyes it was shocking to see the Spaniard in such a low position in the ranking (672nd). Even more so when he was used to frequenting the top positions, in which for 209 weeks he remained on the throne of the classification. The priority for his return is to regain the competitive level, which is undoubtedly on the right path. However, parallel to this, and although it is not his priority, he has also started a race to climb points in the ranking, which could allow him in the near future to stop having to resort to invitations or protected ranking to be able to compete in the tournaments.

With the victory against Dominic Thiem, Nadal added 25 points and a rise of 131 places in the rankings. He started with 45 points and in 672nd place, and after his victory he is placed with 70 and in 541st position. On Thursday, if he manages to surpass the Australian Jason Kubler he will add another 25 points, with which he would be around 450th place. holds the title would be close to the Top-200, on a path that aims to be able to access the Grand Slam on its own merits.

2024-01-03 09:00:03
#Rafa #Nadal #fourth #winningest #tennis #player #history