Rafael Nadal set for massive rankings boost – and has favourable Madrid third-round draw
Rafael Nadal is set for a massive surge up the ATP Rankings after his stunning Madrid Open win over Alex de Minaur.
Nadal stunned his home crowd in Madrid – and seemingly most of the tennis world – with victory over the world No 11 on Saturday afternoon.
Just 10 days after fading in a 7-5, 6-1 loss to de Minaur at the Barcelona Open, Nadal turned the tables on his Australian opponent with a surprise 7-6(6), 6-3 victory at the Caja Magica.
De Minaur was far from his best in a contest of varying quality, but it will be a win of huge satisfaction for Nadal and may well give the former world No 1 confidence looking ahead.
The Spaniard is playing just his third tournament of 2024 and currently sits down at 512th in the ATP Rankings – though is now set for a sharp rise.
WATCH: Rafael Nadal clashes with umpire after huge line call controversy in Madrid
Victories over Darwin Blanch and de Minaur in the Spanish capital have seen him earn 50 ranking points, and currently see him sit at 391st in the ATP Rankings, a jump of 121 places in the live rankings.
Should he go on to win the tournament, Nadal would likely move to around 40th in the ATP Rankings, and while that might seem a step too far considering his lack of matchplay and fitness, a further rise seems likely.
Cachin momentum
After a string of 15 consecutive losses, @pecachin1 is into Madrid R3 – where he will meet a certain Rafael Nadal!#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/dX3ps6uf8T
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 27, 2024
Nadal has a hugely favourable third-round draw, with unheralded Argentine Pedro Cachin his opponent in a match likely to take place on Monday.
Cachin has performed well in Madrid so far, with a straight sets win over Sebastien Ofner followed by an upset victory over 20th seed Frances Tiafoe on Saturday.
But, until this week, the Argentine has been on a drastically poor run of form.
The former world No 48 was on a 15-match losing streak before this Masters 1000 event, and victory over Ofner was his very first win of 2024.
Against an opponent in a poor run of form, Nadal will be a significant favourite, with any physical troubles perhaps the most likely obstacle potentially stopping him from reaching the fourth round.
Should he beat Cachin, his fourth round match would be against 30th seed Jiri Lehecka or qualifier Thiago Monteiro.
