Why can Nadal participate in every tournament despite falling out of the world's top 500?

Former world number one Rafael Nadal will play ATP Tour events next year using either a wildcard or ATP ranking protection rule.

On December 1, Nadal announced that his first event next year will be the Brisbane International, an ATP 250 tournament that kicks off the Australian Grand Slam. The 22-time Grand Slam winner will compete in the tournament despite only being ranked 663rd in the ATP rankings – a position that does not qualify for ATP Tour tournaments (usually the top 300).

Nadal once said 2024 could be the last season of his 20-year career. Photo: ATP — Nadal once said 2024 could be the last season of his 20-year career. Photo: *ATP*

Nadal will still be able to play any tournament he wants under the ATP's ranking protection rule. This rule allows players who have been out for at least six months due to a physical problem to file a status protection request with the ATP upon their return. The ATP will take a player's average ranking during the first three months of their injury. In Nadal's case, his average ranking is world number nine. So the 'King of Clay' can play any tournament. This applies to the first nine events or the first nine months after a player returns to competition.

Despite being a protected seed, Nadal will not be playing as such and will be last in the draw. The 37-year-old could therefore face the highest seeds in the opening round, such as Novak Djokovic in the first round of the Australian Open. This is something Nadal has not experienced in his two-decade career.

"I think Nadal's comeback is very difficult because he usually has a habit of starting slowly, only playing better in the second week of the Grand Slam," Nadal's uncle - coach Toni expressed concern in an interview with Spanish media last month.

In addition to the point protection rule, Nadal can also participate in tournaments thanks to a wild card from the organizers. "No tournament director would refuse Nadal if he wanted to," Marca commented on the chance for the number one tennis player in Spain's history to compete again.

"I hope to play tournaments with the status protection rule so as not to take away the wildcards from others," Nadal told Spanish media when announcing his return to the ATP Tour in 2024 last week.

Nadal is also guaranteed to play in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, under an International Tennis Federation exemption for athletes with long-term injuries or Olympic achievements. Nadal won the men's singles gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the men's doubles title in 2016.

Nadal has not played for nearly a year, since injuring his hip at the Australian Open. On March 20, he dropped out of the ATP Top 10 for the first time in 18 years, ending a record of 912 consecutive weeks in the world's Top 10, a total of 6,538 days. After Roland Garros, Nadal dropped out of the Top 100. He dropped more than 100 places after the US Open, and another 420 places after the ATP Finals with just 45 points - below player Ly Hoang Nam.

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