Ending on a high

For a fifth time, Rafael Nadal has clinched the year-end No 1 ATP Ranking following Novak Djokovic's defeat to Roger Federer at the O2 Arena, London. He is now tied for second on the all-time list with Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors. Pete Sampras tops the tally with six.

In the ongoing Nitto ATP Finals, Nadal wanted a favour from Daniil Medvedev who had to get the better of Alexander Zverev for the Spaniard to advance into the semi-finals. The German's victory meant Rafael Nadal's heroics over Stefanos Tsitsipas went in vain and was eliminated on the tournament's tiebreaker rules.

But, Federer's victory over the Serbian solidified Nadal's position at the summit. Federer's win also ensured that his friend and rival Rafael Nadal will finish 2019 as the No 1 player of the year. After the victory against Novak, Federer said, "I'm sure he was watching extremely closely. I've been in that position before. It's great always to finish a year-end No 1."

Nadal, who replaced Novak Djokovic at World No 1 on November 4, didn't start the year as expected but made a great comeback towards the second half. He enjoyed a stellar season, capturing four titles – two Grand Slams and two ATP Masters 1000s. At 33, Nadal is the oldest player to finish year-end No. 1 in the history of the ATP Rankings (since 1973). Having previously finished at the top in 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2017, Nadal is the first player to hold, lose and regain the year-end No 1 on four occasions. He is also the first player to finish No 1 five times in non-consecutive years.

The Spanish superstar, who ended the 2018 season early, has returned in 2019 playing some of the best tennis of his career. In compiling a 52-7 match record, Nadal has captured four trophies this season, including a historic 12th title at Roland Garros (against Thiem) in June and a fourth at the US Open (against Medvedev) in September. He won a ninth Internazionali BNL d'Italia crown (against Djokovic) in Rome in May and a record-extending 35th ATP Masters 1000 trophy in August at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal. He also reached the Australian Open final in January and has now contested three Grand Slam championship finals in a calendar year on four occasions.

Talking about the feat to ATP, a 'super-happy' Nadal said, "After all the things that I went through in my career, in terms of injury, I never thought that at the age of 33 and a half, I would have this trophy in my hands again. At some point for me, it's something that gives me great personal satisfaction. To have the chance to equal both of them (Federer and Djokovic) means a lot."

It is the ninth time in the past 19 years that year-end No 1 has been decided only at the final tournament of the season. Undoubtedly it was a bittersweet day for Rafa, but a day he when he can hold his head high for he did everything he could. For him, age is just a number at 33. It's totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine.