Nadal has been bothered by some poor form of late (photo: skysports)

Following untimely exits at the Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami, Spain’s Rafael Nadal is projected to take a plunge in the rankings, when the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) releases its official charts on Monday.

Currently ranked No. 3 in the list, Nadal has had an appalling fortnight in the United States of America. Having made it through to the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, the Spaniard was shown the door by lower-ranked Canadian Milos Raonic.

Thereafter, he could pull off just a solitary triumph in the opening round of the Miami Open, before losing out to compatriot Fernando Verdasco.

By the virtue of this defeat, Nadal is poised to fall out of the top four, making way for Great Britain’s Andy Murray at No. 3 and Japan’s Kei Nishikori at No. 4.

Moreover, Nadal’s win-loss ratio this year has been a substandard 15-5, not what someone of his caliber would like to have under the belt.