"More impressive than Djokovic's No. 1 streak" - Tennis fans pay tribute to Rafael Nadal as his record Top-10 streak officially ends at 912 weeks

A new round of ATP rankings on Monday after Indian Wells officially signaled the end of Rafael Nadal's incredible run inside the Top-10. For the first time since April 2005, the Spanish tennis great has left the ATP Top-10, thus ending a 912-week streak. Many fans, experts, and tennis enthusiasts alike believe the record will never be broken.

Last year's Indian Wells finalist Nadal lost a sizeable 650 ranking points on Monday after missing Indian Wells this year due to his ongoing recovery from a hip injury that has sidelined him since the Australian Open. What contributed majorly to Nadal's fall from the world No. 2 ranking at the start of the season to No. 13 this week was the fact that he missed the stretch of the new season that earned him the most points last season.

Nadal started the 2022 season with a 20-match winning streak, winning the Melbourne Summer Set, Australian Open, and Mexican Open before reaching the Indian Wells final, where he lost to Taylor Fritz.

While the writing was on the wall for the Spaniard's record to come to an end this week, tennis fans still expressed their disbelief and applauded him for what many believe is one of the greatest achievements of all time.

"More impressive than Djokovic's No. 1 streak I reckon," a fan wrote on Twitter.

"The greatest streak in all of sport is over," another fan expressed.

Here are a few more reactions from the tennis fan community to the end of Rafael Nadal's 912-week-long run in the ATP Top-10:

---

Rafael Nadal was the first player to register for Monte Carlo Masters 2023, reveals tournament director

The Spaniard last competed at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2021.

Rafael Nadal is working hard in training ahead of an expected comeback during the claycourt season. With the first big tournament of the claycourt season set to be the Monte Carlo Masters in the second week of April, the tournament's director, David Massey, recently revealed that the 11-time champion was the first player to register for the 2023 edition. Massey further spoke of the Spanish great's excitement for the event.

"Rafa was the first [player] to be registered. He really wants to play at the Monte-Carlo Masters and is giving himself every chance to take part in the tournament he's so fond of," Massey said in a statement.

After dropping outside the Top-10, the Spaniard will now fancy his chances of jumping comfortably back inside the Top-10 ahead of his French Open title defense. He has a mere 270 combined points to defend at the Monte Carlo Masters, Barcelona Open (12-time winner), Madrid Open (5-time winner), and the Italian Open (10-time winner). The 36-year-old missed the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open last season.