Fans of Spain's Rafael Nadal hold a sign which reads: 'Rafa No.1' during his semifinal match against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic at the China Open in Beijing.
BEIJING: Czech Tomas Berdych played no more than six games of his China Open semifinal against Rafael Nadal before pulling out with an injured back on Saturday.
Nadal led 4-2 when Berdych threw in the towel, following a medical time-out. The 27-year-old Nadal will now take over the top spot on the ATP Rankings for the third time in his career on Monday.
In the final on Sunday, the Spaniard will face Serb Novak Djokovic, the man he will replace at the top of the rankings.
"It is a present after a great year, one of the best years of my career without a doubt," Nadal, who returned to the Tour in February, following a seven-month injury break, said, "It's special to be back at the top position of the rankings after going more than a half a year without playing. I made 13 finals from 14 tournaments this year. It is something I have never done in the past. So this is something very, very special for me."
The Spaniard then hastened to add: "Being No. 1 is important, but in the end, it's just a number. What makes me happy is all that I did, the effort that I put in to get back to where I am today."
Nadal led 4-2 when Berdych threw in the towel, following a medical time-out. The 27-year-old Nadal will now take over the top spot on the ATP Rankings for the third time in his career on Monday.
In the final on Sunday, the Spaniard will face Serb Novak Djokovic, the man he will replace at the top of the rankings.
"It is a present after a great year, one of the best years of my career without a doubt," Nadal, who returned to the Tour in February, following a seven-month injury break, said, "It's special to be back at the top position of the rankings after going more than a half a year without playing. I made 13 finals from 14 tournaments this year. It is something I have never done in the past. So this is something very, very special for me."
The Spaniard then hastened to add: "Being No. 1 is important, but in the end, it's just a number. What makes me happy is all that I did, the effort that I put in to get back to where I am today."
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