Djokovic beat Borna Coric 6-3, 6-4 in the final this morning to move to within 215 ATP points of Nadal.
The Serbian will leapfrog Roger Federer up to second when the latest standings are announced on Monday.
But Djokovic now wants to end the year as the best in the world by winning the final few tournaments of the season.
“I couldn’t ask for a better scenario,” Djokovic said. “I am very close to Rafael Nadal in the rankings and I have put myself in a very good position for the last period of the year.
“We will see I am planning to play Paris and London and maybe another tournament before then.
“The game is working really well and ending a year as number one will definitely be the biggest achievement of this year.”
Djokovic’s win over Coric wrapped up the 72nd title of his career and he was delighted with his recent form which has also seen him claim silverware at Wimbledon, the Cincinnati Masters and US Open.
“It is phenomenal. I am very proud of it,” he added.
“I owe a great thanks to my team and my family and everyone that is with me on this road.
“The success in the last three to four months has been terrific to me.
“There have not been too many holes in my game this week and everything worked perfectly.
“This was definitely one of the best serving weeks that I have had. I faced only two, maybe three break points in the entire week.
“I didn’t drop my serve in the entire week and I am not sure if that has ever happened.
“I am just very pleased with that part of my game and with the overall results.”
Djokovic also reserved a word for Coric, a 21-year-old who he has spent much time mentoring over the last few years.
“He is a great guy and I like him a lot. I have followed his game since he was a young guy,” Djokovic said.
“I feel at time like I kind of mentored him and I am really glad that he is doing well.
“I always knew he had the potential to be one of the top players in the world and I am sure we will see a lot of him.”