Novak Djokovic will end the year as world number one, it has been confirmed.
Serb confirmed as year-end top dog after defeat for Nadal
Novak Djokovic will end the year as world number one, it has been confirmed.
The Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open champion has been the dominant player of 2011 and another honour will now be added to his CV.
A third-round defeat for Rafael Nadal at the Shanghai Masters on Thursday - he lost to Florian Mayer - means Djokovic, who hit the summit for the first time in his career following his Wimbledon triumph in July, can no longer be caught at the top of the rankings.
The Serb will finish the season as top dog for the first time after an outstanding campaign which has so far seen him lose only three matches - and two of those have come via injury retirements.
Return
After starting the year with 41 consecutive match wins, Djokovic currently holds a win-loss record of 64-3 for the season, a run which has brought him 10 titles in total.
Djokovic will receive his year-end number one trophy during the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London next month - providing he has recovered from a back injury by then.
Forced to miss the Shanghai tournament due to the problem, Djokovic is currently scheduled to return to the court in Basel at the start of next month, while he is also due to play the Paris Masters before heading to London.
The Serb becomes the 16th player to end the season as world number one since the introduction of the ranking system in 1973. He also ends the seven-year domination of the year-end top ranking by Nadal and Roger Federer.
