Rafael Nadal will make his long-awaited comeback when the 2024 season begins. Confirmed to participate in the Brisbane International, he will also feature in the Australian Open. However, his low rank means he cannot directly qualify and will use his Protected Ranking. Fans on social media shared their thoughts about this provision and the Spaniard using it.
Not having taken to the court since the second round of the 2023 Australian Open, Nadal is currently ranked World No.664. Let alone the main draw, he is not eligible for the qualifiers of the first Grand Slam of the year. Hence, he will make use of his Protected Ranking. After some doubts, his PR reportedly came out to be No.9, automatically getting him into the main event.
Protected Rankings come into play when players have injury/maternity breaks longer than six months. ATP allows players to use it for nine tournaments/months upon return, while WTA permits it for eight. Many other star players will be using the PR route to play in the 2024 Australian Open. Nadal, given his much-publicised absence and subsequent return, has been the focus of the debate over the special rankings.
A few fans said Nadal getting entry into the main draw with the PR helps the tournament financially. It will increase ticket sales and revenue.
While there were some detractors, most fans supported the PR provision. They gave many reasons, like it ensures players don’t scramble to save rankings and it allows female players the freedom to have kids. One fan cheekily said he is okay with it since it means getting to see Novak Djokovic defeat Nadal.
A player using Protected Ranking is not eligible to be seeded. A section of users wondered how this might affect Nadal’s campaign, hoping for him to face Djokovic in the first round.
Despite the support the PR system received, a few were not thrilled with it.
American No.1 says Rafael Nadal being unseeded makes the draw difficult
“I think that maybe it’s going to be tough. Maybe he might be a little bit rusty. I think it’s going to be pretty crazy having him in draws where he’s going to be unseeded. So anybody can play Rafa in the first round, so it’s going to be pretty crazy.”
“He’s Rafa, so I think even if he’s going to be maybe a little rusty coming back or it takes some time, he’s still going to be playing really well and he’s still going to be tough for a lot of guys to play early and draws as well just because of him being unseeded.”
