Rafael Nadal dropped out of the world's top 10 men's tennis rankings on Monday, the first time he has not been a presence there since his arrival on April 25, 2005.
After struggling with a hip injury since the Australian Open, Nadal has been unable to play much in the early months of 2023, causing his ranking to drop to 13th.
The 22-time grand slam winner has been an ever-present among the elite of the men's game for the best part of two decades.
Having spent half of his life as a top-10 player, Nadal will be determined to get back there once his injury has healed and prove there is still plenty of life in him yet, though may also be a tad sad to realise that new world number one and compatriot Carlos Alcaraz wasn't even two years old in April 2005.
In the interest of nostalgia, Stats Perform has taken a gander back at how the world looked then, and what has changed since.
The Special One makes his mark
Jose Mourinho made quite the impact when he became Chelsea manager at the start of the 2004-05 season, guiding the then Roman Abramovich-owned Blues to their first Premier League crown, and first English top-flight title since 1954-55.
After coining his own moniker of the "Special One" at his first press conference, Mourinho set about living up to it, also adding the EFL Cup in his first season at Stamford Bridge.
Two days after Nadal had entered the top 10 though, Chelsea hosted Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, drawing 0-0 at home, before losing 1-0 in the return leg at Anfield to suffer elimination at the hands of their Premier League rivals.
Mourinho did not take kindly to Luis Garcia's goal being awarded, with goal-line technology not available back then, something the now 60-year-old brought up again as recently as last week.
The Portuguese coach went on to have a storied career that is still going, having won the inaugural Europa Conference League with Roma last season.
He remains as outspoken as ever though, aiming a dig at Roma's rivals Lazio after their elimination from Europe ahead of the Rome derby on Sunday, which Lazio won 1-0 before Biancocelesti defender Alessio Romagnoli revealed: "We were already very energised before this match, his quotes hyped us up even more."
Tennant's Who-per
It was also a different time in television, pre-dating the streaming services so many rely on today, not least tennis players on the road, such as Nadal.
David Tennant was announced as the 10th doctor in Doctor Who, while the first UK series of The Apprentice came to a conclusion and adult-themed animated series Family Guy returned due to popular demand after initially being cancelled following its third season.
Nearly 18 years later, Tennant has reprised his role in Doctor Who, The Apprentice is airing its 17th series in the UK and Family Guy is airing its 21st season in the United States.
The more things change, the more they stay the same... but you can at least now stream all three shows on demand.
Charles and Camilla get married
In April 2005, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles tied the knot, getting married at a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall.
It is fair to say quite a bit has happened in the British royal family since then, with Princes William and Harry both getting married to fairly different receptions.
With the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in September at the age of 96, King Charles III took the throne, and will have his coronation on May 6.
After Alcaraz became the youngest player to end the year as world number one in December, King Charles III will officially become the oldest person to accede to the British throne.
When Nokia ruled the world
If there is one area that has advanced almost immeasurably in the last 18 years, it is phone technology.
In 2005, it was still around two years before the dawn of the smartphone. Statistically, it is likely that even stars like Nadal had to make do with a Nokia 1110, the best-selling phone of the year.
Flip-phones were also becoming popular, with the Motorola RAZR V3 and Samsung Z500 among them, and both companies have revived the design in recent times, with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 one of the biggest selling phones of today.
Who knows, perhaps Nadal's superfast reflexes and anticipation came from logging hours and hours of practice playing Snake.
Let's see Alcaraz do that.
Andy Murray confirms he will play at Surbiton again after skipping French Open
Andy Murray will return to action next week at the Lexus Surbiton Trophy.
As expected, having skipped the French Open to focus on his Wimbledon preparations, the former world number one has taken a wild card into the Challenger event.
Murray played the second-tier tournament, which always attracts a strong field, last year for the first time since 2004, losing in the semi-finals to Denis Kudla.
Murray said: “The LTA’s Lexus Surbiton Trophy is a great way for me to start my grass-court season. It’s nice to play somewhere that has the feel of a traditional club and I’m hoping to get some good matches and practice in there during the week in front of the British fans.”
Dan Evans is a more surprise inclusion having said following his first-round defeat in Paris to Thanasi Kokkinakis that he would not be seeking a Surbiton wild card.
Evans will also headline the Challenger event in Nottingham the following week, when Murray is more likely to play at the ATP tournament in Stuttgart, where he reached the final last year.
Venus Williams, meanwhile, will make her return to the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham having played there for the first time in 2019.
The 42-year-old has not played a tournament since January but is giving the grass another go and will return to action in the Netherlands at the Libema Open beginning on June 12.
Cameron Norrie hoping to have Jon Bon Jovi’s support at Wimbledon
Cameron Norrie still has business to attend to at the French Open but the British number one is looking forward to having celebrity backing at Wimbledon this summer.
Norrie could hardly be described as a rock and roll tennis player but he revealed an unlikely friendship earlier this year when he hit with singing superstar Jon Bon Jovi.
Bon Jovi watched Norrie in Miami and the 27-year-old is hoping to see him in his player box at the All England Club.
View this post on Instagram“It was so cool to play with him,” said Norrie, whose girlfriend knows one of Bon Jovi’s sons.
“He is really liking tennis more and more, and I think he’s going to make an appearance at Wimbledon and come watch. So it’s cool to see him enjoying it. To meet him and to hang out with him was great.
“I’m not really the biggest of his fans. Obviously I respect his music and I know a lot of his songs. It’s cool to see him getting involved in tennis and liking it. He’s playing almost every day.
“I’ll hopefully see him hitting some balls over Wimbledon time. I’m sure he’ll be enjoying Wimbledon. I think he has a couple of shows planned in British summertime as well.”
Norrie will try to break new ground at Roland Garros on Friday when he takes on talented young Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the third round.
The British number one is through to this stage for the third year in a row but has never been further, and to do so he must reverse the result of a clash on clay in Barcelona a few weeks ago.
“I was playing at such a high level with him and I lost a bit of concentration and a bit of focus, and my level dropped a lot, but I was able to figure out ways to win points,” said Norrie of 21-year-old Musetti.
“I think I have a pretty decent game to play him but I’m going to have to play really, really well. His best surface is clay and he’s had a lot of really tough matches.
“He took Djokovic to five here, so he can play well. I think it’s a really tough draw and I’m really going to have to play my best with him to have a chance. He beat me in the last one so, good guy, good third round. I’m expecting a tough match.”
While Musetti represents a step up from his previous opponents, Norrie will no doubt be relieved not to have to take on the French crowd again after his victories over Benoit Paire and Lucas Pouille.
The Paire clash was a five-set rollercoaster but Norrie lost only seven games against Pouille and played down concerns over the strapping under his left knee.
“In the first round with Benoit, I hit a smash at the back of the court early in the second set and I felt it a little bit,” he said.
“I think as tennis players we’re dealing with a few niggles here and there. I’ve been working hard with my team to make sure I’m getting my body as ready as possible.
“I was able to play with no problem, so it was a good sign. I was really happy with how I moved and reacted and returned and made a lot of first balls. It definitely didn’t hinder my performance at all.”
While Norrie has been the only British singles player remaining in Paris since Monday, representation in the doubles is still going strong.
Jamie Murray and his New Zealand partner Michael Venus moved through to the third round with a 6-1 7-5 victory over Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah on Thursday.
Murray linked up with Venus following the retirement of his former partner Bruno Soares last year and the pair have already won three titles together, including in Geneva last week.
“We did really well,” said Murray. “I think we played a really good match. We knew we’d have to play well to get those guys. I’ve played them so many times.
“We did a lot of good things today so I’m happy. I’m excited about where the team is right now and where we can get to.”
Emma Raducanu splits with coach Sebastian Sachs after less than six months
Emma Raducanu has split with her coach of less than six months Sebastian Sachs.
Raducanu only appointed the former German player in mid-December, but she has announced a parting of the ways.
“I have really enjoyed Seb’s coaching and working with him, it’s unfortunate that circumstances made it unfeasible for both of us to continue right now and we have decided to part ways. I wish Seb all the best moving forwards,” Raducanu tweeted.
The 2021 US Open champion is currently sidelined and could miss the entire grass-court season following surgery on her wrists and ankle.
Sachs was her fifth coach in two years, following Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz and Dmitry Tursunov.
The 31-year-old coached Swiss player Belinda Bencic when she won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
His brief stint with Raducanu included the Australian Open in January, but their partnership is now over.
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