ATP men's tennis rankings: Rafael Nadal stays on top

Image Source: telegraph.co.uk

Rafael Nadal ended 2013 at the top seed of the male circuit of the ATP Tour. After a few gap months of being forced out of courts by injury, the Mallorcan secured a stellar comeback, even as fit and favorite Serb Novak Djokovic breathed down his neck.

With 13, 030 points Nadal went on to overtake other players, namely: Serbia’s Djokovic with 12, 260 seeded second, Spain’s David Ferrer 3rd with 5,800 points, Scotland’s Andy Murray with 5790 at 4th, and Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro with 5,255 closing out the top five. Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Roger Federer, Czech Republic’s Tomas Berdych, Switxerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka, France’s Richard Gasquet, and Jo-wilfried Tsonga all came in 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th respectively.

Image Source: upi.com

Fondly called ‘Rafa’ in the tennis world, the 27-year-old Nadal is an on-court leftie but is right-handed when he writes. Inspired by his Uncle Toni, who is now his coach, Rafa’s natural talent for the sport emerged at the young age of four. He used to play two-handed on both sides before switching to a ripping left-handed forehand. Being a southpaw, as can be attested by players of such handedness before him, has its tactical advantages.

The Biography Channel discovered that the tennis player was 12 years when he won the Spanish and European tennis titles in his age group. At 15, he turned pro. By 16 years old, he had reached the semifinals of the Boy’s Singles tournament at Wimbledon. A year after, the Spanish player was named the youngest man to reach the third round at Wimbledon since Boris Becker.

Rafa’s love for tennis is evident in his recorded success. However, when it comes to life, he is not nailed within the lines. He bluntly puts it this way: “It’s only a tennis match. At the end, that's life. There are much more important things.”

Image Source: mirror.co.uk

I’m Tom Phanco, overthinking every inch of the tennis court and its competitive circuits. Follow me on Twitter for more interesting features about the sport.