Rafael Nadal might have got married last weekend but he has wasted no time getting back into training before arriving in Paris on Thursday ahead of the final Masters 1000 event of the year.
The 33-year-old is in a battle with Novak Djokovic to end the year as the number one in the ATP rankings, and insists he is relishing the competition.
“It’s fantastic,” Nadal said.
“I prefer to be No 1 to No 2 and No 2 to No 3.
“And of course, finishing the year world No 1 is something special, and I would love to make that happen.”
If Nadal manages to win the Paris Masters he would move into joint-second place in the all-time rankings for ending the year as No 1.
Currently American Pete Sampras leads the way after accomplishing the feat six times in his career, while Jimmy Conors, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are all tied on five.
Nadal is currently on four, tied with John McEnore and Ivan Lendl.
And while Nadal has been out of action for five weeks after picking up an injury that prevented him from finishing the Laver Cup, along with enjoying a break for his wedding, the Spaniard insisted he has now fully recovered from the wrist injury.
“I had my problem in the hand after the US Open, so I couldn’t finish the Laver Cup the way that I wanted,” said Nadal.
“Then I had to stop for a while.
“I feel better, that’s why I’m here. And I am here with the goal to play my 100 per cent. That’s what I expect.”
Nadal has never won the Paris Masters but the 12-time Roland Garros winner is confident about his chances this year.
“If it’s not good luck that I won 12 times in Roland Garros, it’s not bad luck that I never won here,” Nadal said.
“I missed this tournament a lot of times in my career. And other times I didn’t play well and other times opponents have been better than me.”
