Nadal out of top 10 but not out of French Open tilt

Casper Rudd believes that Rafael Nadal will still be the "man to beat" at the French Open even if the Spaniard's absence from Indian Wells saw him slip out of the top 10 for the first time since 2005 on Monday.

Nadal was forced to skip the Masters 1000 event in California, where he reached the 2022 final, as he continues his recovery from a hip issue that ended his Australian Open title defence in the second round in January.

Unable to defend the 600 points from Indian Wells resulted in the 22-time Grand Slam champion dropping four places to 13th in the rankings, ending his record 912-week stay inside the top 10, which began when current No. 1 and Indian Wells champion Carlos Alcaraz was not even two years old.

However, with the veteran preparing to return to action at the Monte Carlo Masters in April ahead of May's French Open, which he has won 14 times in his career, his time outside the top 10 might be short.