Paris, October 28: Spanish tennis icon Rafael Nadal, who is preparing to continue his rankings battle with Novak Djokovic at the Paris Masters and in the season-ending ATP finals in London, has insisted that he prefers to be No. 1 to No. 2. The 33-year-old, alongside Djokovic, are the joint top seeds at the Paris Masters. If Nadal manages to finish at the top of the rankings by the end of the year, it would be the fifth time that he would achieve the feat in his career, thus tying him with Djokovic, Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors.

"It's fantastic," Nadal was quoted as saying by the ATP Tour website. "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." Nadal recently got married to Mery Perello on October 19 after being together for 14 years. Roger Federer Was NOT Invited to Rafael Nadal and Xisca Perello’s Wedding, Swiss Tennis Legend Reveals He Had No Idea of the Marriage Ceremony!

"I'm super happy with my season. (It was) a tough beginning of the season. Then I was able to find a way to be back playing at a very high level of tennis and (to) be in the situation that I am today," Nadal said.

"After Monte-Carlo (this) was something very difficult to imagine. So I'm very proud about the year that I am having and it's the moment to keep pushing a little bit until then," he added. With just two victories over these final two events of the season, Nadal will eclipse the 50-win mark for the 11th time. Regardless of results in Paris, the Spaniard will reclaim the numero uno spot on November 4.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 28, 2019 02:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).