Former world's no.1 and 14-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal is in danger of crashing all the way out of the top-5 in the next ATP Tour World Ranking following a third-round exit at the Miami Masters, Tennis World USA reported on Tuesday.
Nadal, who suffered back-to-back early round disappointments at the Indian Wells Open and Miami Masters, is facing the prospect of being ranked outside the fabled top-5 of the ATP Tour - which is the lowest ranking he would have since he took a seven-month absence from 2012-2013 due to a left knee injury.
According to Tennis World USA, Nadal's chance of going down to no.6 would depend on the performance of contender Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori. If both players managed to get past their fourth-round opponents and advance into the quarterfinals, Nadal will have to settle outside the top-5 in the world ranking for the first time in many years.
Nadal's struggle as of late has brought his past health issues, particularly that troubling left knee, back to the forefront, but the Spaniard stressed that he's battling a far more difficult personal challenge.
In the wake of his third-round exit at the hands of compatriot Fernando Verdasco at the Miami Masters on Sunday, Spain's Rafael Nadal admitted he's having trouble regaining the rock solid composure that propelled him to victories in a number of big matches over the years, stressing that it's an issue he needs to fix with all his might.
During a post-match interview with several media reporters, the 28-year old Nadal talked about his difficulty controlling his emotions and nerve problems that has troubled him since the start of the season.
"It's not a tough issue to fix, but I'm going to keep trying," said Nadal. "I am trying my best. I am practising with the right attitude," Nadal said via ATP World Tour news.
"It's not the question of tennis, [It's] the question of being relaxed enough to play well on court. Today my game in general improved since a month and a half [ago]. But at the same time, [I'm] still playing with too many nerves for a lot of moments, in important moments."
Nadal, who only won one tournament (Argentina Open) at this point of the season, said he doesn't know when he's going to be able to overcome this 'nerve issues,' which he believed could haunt him for the entire season.
"I have been able to control my emotions during 90 per cent, 95 per cent of my matches of my career... But I'm going to fix it," Nadal said. "I don't know if [it'll be] in one week, in six months, or in one year, but I'm going to do it.
"It's something that I need to fix for myself and with my team. I need the help of my team, but especially I need the help of myself. That's what I am trying to do. Nobody's going to change the situation for you."
Nadal, who is gunning for 10th French Open title, will have to overcome his composure problem as soon as possible if he wants to have another big campaign this coming clay-court season.