When 2017 began, Rafael Nadal was ranked ninth in the world. He was forced to cut short his erratic 2016 season due to injury and that had reflected in his rankings – his lowest year-end finish in more than a decade. But in a remarkable twist that perhaps not even the Spaniard would have predicted, he will end 2017 as the World No 1. And not just any No 1, he is also the oldest player to become year-end No 1 in the ATP rankings.
Not many may have given him a chance to reclaim the top spot after last season, but then he made it to the final of the Australian Open. While he lost the five-set thriller to Roger Federer, the run in Melbourne was the first indication that this was a newer, fitter, sharper version of the gritty Nadal.
The rest of the season, in simple words, was phenomenal. He has gone on to lift six trophies (so far) and reached four other finals. He captured the unprecedented La Decima at the French Open and then added a third US Open title to his name (wins only on clay, right?). He also won historic tenth titles at the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open along with the fifth at Madrid Open as well as the China Open.
The year-end ATP ranking is supposed to be a feat more difficult to achieve than just become the World No 1. To sustain the momentum required to end the year on top of the points table is not easy given the hectic ATP calendar. More importantly, it also means you need to keep fit.
But here he is, the first player to finish No 1 four times in non-consecutive years with a record nine-year gap between his first and latest year-end triumphs.
A lot has changed in the nine years since Nadal first finished the year as World No 1, but the resilient Spaniard has found his way back to the top after an arduous road.
Age and ATP year-end ranking
Nadal is not only the oldest player to end a season as No 1, he is also the first over the age of 30. In an era when the ATP tour is dominated by players in the late 20s-early 30s, this is noteworthy.
But the question of age becomes even more important given that the player in question is Nadal, whose career has been marked with injuries and struggle for durability, despite its many achievements. In fact, 2017 is only the second time that the 31-year-old has played in all four Grand Slam and nine Masters events in a season. (A feat remarkable in itself, given his serious injury scare last season.)
The oldest year-end No 1 before Nadal was Murray last year at 29, who spent numerous weeks at No 2 as well. His 41-week stay at the top came to an end in August when Nadal reclaimed the top-spot amidst his consistent 2017 season.
And the youngest ATP world No 1, unsurprisingly, is Lleyton Hewitt. The Australian tennis prodigy is also the youngest male to be ranked No 1 at 20 years and 8 months in 2001. He would go on to spend 75 straight weeks on top and become the year-end No 1 again the next year. Andy Roddick was the next youngest, when he finished 2003 on top at 21 years. Neither the Aussie or American ever reclaimed the position again, as the four-year reign of Federer began in 2004.
Nadal was 22 when he first reached the spot in 2008. For many who watched tennis in the mid-2000s, the question was whether the plucky Spaniard can ever become No 1 while Federer maintained his stronghold there?
The moment finally arrived in August when Nadal, fresh from his historic triumph over Roger Federer at Wimbledon and Olympic singles gold, displaced the Swiss from the top. Federer had spent a whopping 237 weeks as World No 1, 160 of which were with Nadal closing the gap at No 2. The same year he finished as ATP year-end No 1 for the first.
Many believed that a new era was upon us. But Roger Federer bounced back the very next year, before Nadal wrested back the year-end crown in 2010. In 2011, the era of Novak Djokovic’s dominance began for two years. But Nadal managed to get the coveted ATP year-end top finish again in 2013 with another spectacular season where he lost only seven out of 75 matches, with a win percentage of 91. That’s three year-end bragging rights in six years for someone considered a clay-court specialist.
While he has already lost 10 matches this season, with two tournaments still to go, the final win ratio will perhaps not be as impressive. But that number doesn’t matter, what matters is that after two seasons of injury and ignominy, where he failed to win even at Roland Garrros, Nadal has reignited his career again.
In the words of the World No 1 himself, this is something he didn’t dream of. But it’s something he has achieved and something he will be immensely proud of.