ATP final rankings for 2020: Djokovic, Nadal, Thiem create records

Novak Djokovic of Serbia poses with his year-end ATP number one trophy in the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 Arena, London, Britain, November 15, 2020. /CFP

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) announced the final world rankings after the ATP Finals ended in London on Sunday with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem crowned the Top 3.

This is the sixth time for Djokovic to lead the world in his career. Having surpassed Roger Federer and Nadal – both five-time champions – the 33-year-old Serbian matched Pete Sampras in achieving the honor. Meanwhile, Djokovic is close to breaking Federer's record of staying on the top for 310 weeks.

Rafael Nadal of Spain poses with Les Mousquetaires trophy of the French Open on the roof of Les Galeries Lafayette in Paris, France, October 12, 2020. /CFP

Nadal has not played as many matches as Djokovic; the 34-year-old Spanish even abandoned the opportunity to defend his throne in the U.S. Open. But he remained dominant in the competitions he attended and claimed the title for the 13th time at Roland-Garros, matching Federer in winning the most Grand Slam championships – 20 in total. Nadal also pocketed his 1,000th win in the Paris Masters and finished the season in second place for the 12th time in his career, replacing Federer to claim this record.

Dominic Thiem of Austria celebrates with men's singles championship trophy of the U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Queens borough of New York City, New York, September 13, 2020. /CFP

Thiem lost to Daniil Medvedev in the ATP Finals, ending as runner-up for the second straight time in the event. Nonetheless, he's achieved quite a lot this season. The 27-year-old Austrian became the first one born after 1990 to win a Grand Slam title in 16 years after beating Alexander Zverev in the U.S. Open. Thiem also broke the dominance of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer over the Grand Slam titles. Furthermore, this is the first time for Thiem to make the Top 3 of the final rankings of the year.

Daniil Medvedev of Russia poses with men's singles championship trophy of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals in London, Britain, November 22, 2020. /CFP

Medvedev and Federer are No. 4 and No. 5 on the table. Despite the ups and downs of his performance in most of the season, Medvedev achieved 10 consecutive wins at the end of the 2020 season and won two championships of the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals. With a 1,800-point lead over Federer, the 24-year-old Russian secured a top 4 seed spot in next year's Australian Open.

Federer missed almost the whole season because of injury and managed to stay as No. 5 thanks to the protection system.