Tennis: Nadal wants rankings rethink to boost shelf life

BARCELONA—Rafael Nadal said Friday he will work to have ATP rankings calculated over a two-year period instead of the current 12 months in the hope of improving the lives and careers of future players.

“I don’t know if it can happen,” said the world number one after crushing Frenchman Gael Monfils to reach another semi-final at the Barcelona Open on Friday.

“I want to work for this to benefit future generations of players. If it can happen, we could have more relaxed lives and longer careers.”

Russian Nikolay Davydenko stands out as the only recent top five player to have competed week-in, week-out while elite stars like Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and the remainder plot their events carefully.

In 2010, Nadal played for 22 total weeks in 17 official events from January through to the World Tour Finals in London.

The Spaniard does carry a heavy workload during spring, when he plays on his beloved clay.

From the start of Monte Carlo last week through Wimbledon – 12 weeks – Nadal has or will play for a scheduled nine weeks. He is defending titles at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Nadal said that calculating computer rankings over a longer period would help relieve pressure on players and hopefully cut down on injuries.

A year ago, Nadal missed the Barcelona event he had won the previous five years as he underwent treatment on his knee.

“We would not have to play every week as we do now,” said Nadal of how he perceives the current situation.