‘Truly a Herculean-Level Athlete’- Tennis World Marvels at ‘Mind-Boggling’ Rafael Nadal Streak With Lionel Messi, Serena Williams, and Ryan Gosling Touch

Since his first appearance in the early 2000s, Rafael Nadal has cemented his position in the top 10 rankings on the ATP Tour. With his prowess and consistency on the court, the Spanish tennis legend has clinched a number of major titles from a very young age. In the process, the 22 singles Grand Slam champion has always managed to maintain his spot in the top 10 men’s rankings.

However, it now looks like the 36-year-old tennis legend’s ranking is going to drop to a large extent given his recent withdrawals from various tournaments. It’s been more than a decade since the tennis community saw Nadal out of those top 10 spots. Taking note of that, a number of fans were baffled by some stats of that era that also included notable figures like Lionel Messi, Serena Williams, and Ryan Gosling.

Fans react to the era when Rafael Nadal was out of the top 10 rankings

The 36-year-old tennis legend has been embroiled in a series of injuries including the iliopsoas that he picked during the Australian Open. It has led to his withdrawal from various tournaments including the upcoming Indian Wells. The entire tennis community is worried as the Spanish tennis legend is on the verge of dropping out of the top 10 spots.

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A lot of things were quite different during the period when Rafael Nadal was out of the top 10 ATP rankings. From technological advancements to sporting achievements, some of those things didn’t even exist then. The list of such things includes the iPod nano that later came to the market when Nadal was already a striking figure on the ATP Tour.

Another baffling fact was that the tennis rivals Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova were tied at 2-2 H2H during that period. Even the popular video streaming platform, YouTube was two months old when the tennis community saw the Spaniard out of those top rankings.

Further, the list also includes the Argentine soccer legend, Leo Messi who didn’t even score his first goal for the La Liga club, Barcelona then. During that era, a lot of things were quite different in Hollywood as well. Ryan Gosling & Rachel McAdams were reportedly a thing back then. Taking note of these baffling facts, one of the fans shared a post on Reddit.

A slew of fans who flocked was quite astonished to witness that era when Nadal was out of the top 10 spots of the ATP rankings.

Notably, one of the fans commented, “It’s insane that Nadal, who has the most “injury-prone” game, hasn’t left the top 10 in so long. He is truly a Herculean-level athlete”

While one of the fans expressed his bafflement by saying, “Wait? Maria was tied 2-2 with Serena?”

Others reacted in a similar way,

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What do you think of the era when Rafael Nadal was out of the top 10 rankings? Let us know in the comments section.