World No 1 Rank Secure for Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal will be the man to beat next year, as he secured the world no 1 rank, after reaching the third round of the Rolex Paris Masters. Nadal beat the promising Hyeon Chung in straight sets to advance in his quest for a first Paris title. The South Korean put up a good fight in the first set, as both of them traded breaks. However, Rafa eventually gained control over the match in the second set and held his nerves to finish it off in straight sets. Nadal became the oldest player to reclaim the world no 1 rank since 1973. He will end the year as world no.1 for the fourth time, after doing so in 2008, 2010 and 2013. Roger Federer’s withdrawal from Paris came as a bonus for Nadal, who consequently needed just one victory to secure his ranking.

“I’m very, very happy for everything,” said Nadal in 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. ” Rafa is looking to perform well at the remaining two tournaments of the calendar year. He has never won a title here in Paris, and has missed out on the ATP world tour finals title as well. .The Spaniard’s best performance was reaching the finals, having succumbed to the Argentine David Nalbandian in the finals in 2007.

With major names absent, this could be Nadal’s year to add these two to his collection. It will be his third masters’ 1000 title of the year if he succeeds in Paris (Monte-Carlo and Madrid). Rafa will face off against Pablo Cuevas, the Uruguayan veteran, in his third round match tomorrow.