Rafa Clinches Year-End Top Spot in ATP Men’s Singles Rankings

November 6, 2013 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Rafael Nadal has clinched the year-end number one Emirates ATP Ranking for a third time after recording his second match win in Group B against Stanislas Wawrinka at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Wednesday afternoon. Nadal previously finished at the top in 2008 and 2010, and becomes the first player to hold, lose and regain the year-end number one Emirates ATP Ranking on two occasions. Roger Federer and Ivan Lendl each accomplished the feat once. Nadal will be presented with the ATP World Tour Number One trophy this week at The O2.

This is the 10th straight season that the year-end world number one ranking has been held by Nadal (2008, ’10, ‘13), Federer (2004-07, ’09) or Novak Djokovic (2011-12).

Nadal returned to world number one on Oct. 7 for the first time in more than two years after reaching his 13th final of a phenomenal season at the China Open in Beijing. He made his comeback in February with a number five ranking following a seven-month injury layoff and won 10 titles, including Roland Garros, the U.S. Open and five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 triumphs. He also went undefeated on hard courts (26-0) through the China Open final, when he finished runner-up to Djokovic.

Nadal first attained the number one ranking on Aug. 18, 2008 for a period of 46 weeks, becoming the first Spaniard to finish a season at the summit of men’s professional tennis. He regained the top spot from Federer on June 7, 2010, for another 56-week stretch, before relinquishing the top spot to Djokovic following the 2011 Wimbledon final. Nadal competes in London at number one for the 107th week in his career.


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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