Rafael Nadal remained typically focused after securing the year-end world No 1 ranking at the Paris Masters on Wednesday, although the Spaniard admitted he “never dreamed” it would happen.
Nadal, 31, claimed a 7-5, 6-3 second-round victory over South Korean Hyeon Chung to maintain his place at the summit and become the oldest man to finish a season at the top of the rankings.
It is the fourth time the Spaniard, who started the season ninth in the rankings, has achieved the feat after 2008, 2010 and 2013. Nadal will therefore arrive in Abu Dhabi for the Mubadala World Tennis Championship next month as the best player in the world.
____________________________
Read more:
____________________________
It caps a remarkable return to the top of the game for Nadal, whom many feared would struggle to recapture his best form following extended spells out with knee and wrist injuries.
Nadal has won six titles this season, including two grand slam titles at the French Open and US Open.
“I’m very, very happy for everything,” Nadal said in his court-side interview following his win over Chung.
“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.”
Nadal went into the match knowing victory would give him an unassailable lead as world No 1 over old rival Roger Federer after he withdrew before the start of the Paris tournament.
Chung, 21, put up a brave fight, but a fired-up Nadal proved too strong for the South Korean.
Nadal will next face Pablo Cuevas in the last 16 today after the unseeded Uruguayan beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-7, 7-6, 6-2.
Alexander Zverev’s bid for a third Masters 1000 title of the season came to an abrupt end after he was surprisingly defeated by Dutchman Robin Haase
Having eased through the first set, fourth seed Zverev looked poised to advance to the third round.
However, the German lost his composure, getting broken twice in the second and third sets to lose 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Haase will face Juan Martin Del Potro in the third round after the Argentine’s 6-2, 6-2 destruction of Portugal’s Joao Sousa.
Similarly to Nadal, Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion and former world No 4, is on the comeback trail from his own career-threatening injuries.
In February 2016, Del Potro was ranked No 1045 in the world. He is now up to No 17 and remains in the hunt for a place at the ATP World Tour Finals.
To reach the eight-player tournament, Del Potro needs to reach the semi-finals in Paris.
Home hope Lucas Pouille kept his slim hopes of qualifying for the World Tour Finals alive by seeing off Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4, but US Open runner-up Kevin Anderson’s chances ended with a 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 loss to Fernando Verdasco.
Another home favourite, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, slumped to a surprise defeat to fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau.
After comfortably beating Benneteau last week in Antwerp, it looked to be going the same way in Paris.
However, the world No 83 fought back against his 11th-seeded compatriot to prevail 2-6, 7-6, 6-2.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 (PA) | US$95,000 | (Dirt) 2,000m
7.05pm: Meydan Classic Listed (TB) ) | $175,000) | (Turf) 1,600m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) ) | $135,000 ) | (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy Group 3 (TB) ) | $300,000) | (T) 2,810m
8.50pm: Curlin Handicap Listed (TB)) | $160,000) | (D) 2,000m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB)) | $175,000) | (T) 1,400m
10pm: Handicap (TB) ) | $135,000 ) | (T) 2,000m
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
SPEC SHEET
Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10 , 120Hz
Processor: 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8-core
Memory: 8/12GB RAM
Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB
Platform: Android 12
Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2, 108MP wide f/1.8, 10MP telephoto f/4.9, 10MP telephoto 2.4; Space Zoom up to 100x, auto HDR, expert RAW
Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, super slo-mo@960fps
Front camera: 40MP f/2.2
Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
I/O: USB-C
SIM: single nano, or nano and SIM, nano and nano, eSIM/nano and nano
Colours: burgundy, green, phantom black, phantom white, graphite, sky blue, red
Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 715bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,289,376
On sale: now
