Rafael Nadal believes that he played a “very complete season” which saw him ascending back to the number one ranking after reaching the China Open final on Saturday. Regardless of what the results of the final is, the Spaniard has accumulated enough ranking points to overtake Novak Djokovic.
In February 2013, Nadal made a comeback on tour following a seven-month absence. Since then he stormed through most of the tournaments, reaching 13 finals out of 14 tournaments contested and won 10 of them, including two Grand Slam titles (French Open, US Open) and five ATP Masters 1000 events.
“[I was] very excited to compete again, and compete well, and [be] competitive against everybody,” Nadal said.
“I worked hard every day with the right attitude I think, and because of that, I am today in this situation,” he added. “I am No. 1 today, but it’s not [assured] for the end of the season.”
“I played a very complete season, and that’s why I am the best in the rankings today.”
Despite already being assured of the number one ranking, Nadal still means business and will do his best to win the China Open final on Sunday where he will face three-time champion Novak Djokovic for the title.
“I know tomorrow I going to have a very tough opponent. I need to play my best, playing aggressive, playing without mistakes, being solid with my serve. If these kind of things are not happening, I will not have chances,” said Nadal. “I know what I have to do [but] it’s very difficult to do it, because the level of the opponent is unbelievable.”
Even though he’s clinched the top ranking, Nadal will still be seeded second at the Shanghai Rolex Masters which begins on Monday, October 7.
