For the fourth time in his career, Rafael Nadal is going to finish a season as the No. 1 player in the world.
Nadal mathematically clinched the year-end top spot when he defeated Hyeon Chung 7-5, 6-3 in round two of the Rolex Paris Masters on Wednesday afternoon. The Spaniard broke serve four times and committed just one unforced error off the backhand side before prevailing in one hour and 48 minutes.
“I’m very, very happy for everything,” Nadal said during his on-court interview. “It has been an amazing year. One year ago, for sure I never dreamed about being World No. 1 again at the end of the season. It’s something that means a lot to me. But the season is not over.”
It is not over for Roger Federer, either, but the second-ranked Swiss has only the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals remaining on his schedule. After capturing his eighth Basel title last week, Federer announced his withdrawal from Paris. In London there are 1,500 ranking points available to an undefeated champion; Nadal now has an insurmountable 1,550-point cushion over his closest rival.
The 16-time Grand Slam winner is the oldest player to finish a year as world No. 1 in the history of the ATP rankings (since 1973). He is the first player to hold, lose, and regain year-end No. 1 three different times (he also finished in the top spot in 2008, again in 2010, and again in 2013). Nadal is also the first player to finish No. 1 four times in non-consecutive seasons, the first over-30 player to finish No. 1 four years after his previous such accomplishment, and the nine-year gap between two different year-end No. 1 finishes is also a record. Seven men have now been year-end No. 1 at least four times in their careers, a list that also includes Pete Sampras (6), Jimmy Connors (5), Roger Federer (5), Ivan Lendl (4), John McEnroe (4), and Novak Djokovic (4).
“The year-end No.1 ranking is the ultimate achievement in our season, demanding the very highest standards in terms of excellence, consistency and endurance,” ATP president Chris Kermode commented. “By becoming–at the age of 31–the oldest player in the game’s history to achieve this spectacular feat, Rafa has once again demonstrated his unwavering work ethic, determination, and passion for the game. He continues to re-write the record books and is a credit to our sport. On behalf of the ATP, we congratulate him on a phenomenal season.”
Nadal will be presented his No. 1 trophy at World Tour Finals in London, where he will be joined by Federer, Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Marin Cilic, and Grigor Dimitrov. The last two spots remain up for grabs.
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