Nadal unperturbed by drop in rankings ahead of French Open

Rafael Nadal has said his drop in the ATP players rankings following a third-round exit in the Madrid Open doesn’t bother him.

Rome: Six-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal has said his drop in the ATP players rankings following a third-round exit in the Madrid Open at the hands of fellow Spanish player Fernando Verdasco, doesn’t bother him.

Roger Federer, who won the Madrid Open, toppled Nadal to take the number two spot in world rankings, whereas Novak Djokovic continues to remain number one. An undaunted Nadal believes that a drop in rankings doesn’t have any effect on his goals, and he is determined to beat the best players in the world to achieve more success. “Being number two or number three isn`t going to change my goal. My goal will be the same, number two, three or number 10. To win you have to beat the best players in the world. The only change is in the semi-finals but it doesn`t make any difference,” Nadal said. Nadal could regain second spot from Federer this week, but said he was more concerned with the way he is playing. “I will try my best to play my best and if I am able to do that I will have my chances to have a good result,” Nadal said. “I will just try to play the same way I did in Monte Carlo and Barcelona (where he won the title). The feeling is there and I am happy with how I am playing,” he added. ANI