"One year ago, for sure I never dreamed about being world number one again at the end of the season"
Wednesday 1 November 2017 21:42, UK
Rafael Nadal secured the year-end No 1 ATP ranking by winning his opening match at the Paris Masters on Wednesday.
The Spaniard made sure he would top the ATP rankings at the end of the season when he beat South Korea's Hyeon Chung 7-5 6-3 in the second round.
The 16-time Grand Slam champion is the oldest man to finish a season at the top of the rankings at the age of 31, having previously achieved the feat in 2008, 2010 and 2013.
"I'm very, very happy for everything," Nadal told a sold-out crowd at the Bercy Arena. "It has been an amazing year. One year ago, for sure I never dreamed about being world number one again at the end of the season.
"It's something that means a lot to me, but the season is not over."
Nadal, who has never won the tournament, was a break behind in the opening set before stepping up a gear to win four games in a row.
The South Korean world No 55 has enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2017 and will play at the inaugural Next-Gen Finals in Milan later this month and although he levelled for 5-5 he paid the price for his efforts as Nadal sealed the set with two successive games.
Nadal made the decisive break in the eighth game of the second set and bagged a straightforward win on his second match point when 21-year-old Chung sent a forehand long.
The No 1 will next face Pablo Cuevas in the last 16, after the unseeded Uruguayan edged out Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-1) 6-2.
Victory in Sunday's final in Paris would see Nadal move clear of Novak Djokovic with a record 31st Masters crown.
"I am on a good dynamic, playing well the whole season," Nadal, who has only won two of his 75 ATP titles indoors, added.
Sky Sports will have the action from the final Masters 1000 tournament of the year in Paris all this week.
The Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan and season-ending extravaganza ATP Finals at London's O2 in November end another memorable year which will be covered via our website www.skysports.com/tennis with live blogs and updates as the season reaches its climax.
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