PARIS — Rafael Nadal will finish the year as the top-ranked player for the fourth time.
The 31-year-old Nadal assured himself the No. 1 ranking by beating Hyeon Chung, 7-5, 6-3, Wednesday in the second round of the Paris Masters.
It is the first time he has finished the year at the top since 2013, with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray doing so after that.
“One year ago, for sure I never dreamed about being No. 1 again at the end of the season,” said Nadal, a 16-time Grand Slam winner who missed large parts of 2016 because of a wrist injury.