Rafael Nadal Earned Honor of Ending 2013 as World's No. 1 Player

No matter what else happens during the rest of the ATP World Tour Finals, Rafael Nadal is your undisputed king for 2013.

With a win over Stanislas Wawrinka on Wednesday, Nadal ensured that he'd keep the No. 1 ranking through the end of the season, per Sky Sports:

It's an honor befitting a player who firmly established himself as the best in the world for this season.

While this shouldn't come as a shock based on the entirety of the season, if you would've said back in January that Rafael Nadal would become the No. 1 player in the world again, many would've called you crazy.

Think back to when Nadal returned back in February at the VTR Open. There were plenty of people who wondered if he'd ever be the same player again. I was one of them.

He could be good, but surely he had been passed by Novak Djokovic, right? As somebody who relies so heavily on a physical advantage, if Nadal's knees were a problem, it could seriously affect his game and limit what he could do.

Instead, he returned better than ever. Perhaps that long layoff was exactly what he needed. His knees had a chance to rest and build up strength for the 2013 season. Sometimes time away is the best thing for you.

Up to this point, he's compiled a mind-boggling 71-6 record, winning 10 titles along the way. He won his eighth French Open in nine years and took home his second U.S. Open title.

The only other player who challenges Nadal's No. 1 status is Djokovic.

There was a time this year when the Serbian star laid claim to being best in the world, but times have changed. Nadal beat the Djoker in the semifinals at Roland Garros and then in the final at Flushing Meadows. Djokovic got some retribution in Beijing back in September, but that doesn't make up for losing to Nadal in two Grand Slams this season.

The match at the U.S. Open was the best display that the Djoker's best simply didn't match up with Rafa's best this season. It was essentially the battle to see who laid claim to being the No. 1 player, and one player clearly stood out.

Taking aside his performance at Wimbledon, Nadal was a force of nature that who left only destruction in his wake. He hammered his opponents into submission and maintained what continues to be a never-ending gas tank.

Nobody—Djokovic included—could touch him.

Although Nadal's fallen off a bit toward the end of the season, there's no debating where he stands in the rankings.